Pavement, Kurt Vile, Ratboys, More Playing Former Eagles Player’s 2-Day Benefit Concert
Former Philadelphia Eagles player Connor Barwin’s benefit concerts will be held at The Dell Music Center, with Philly’s Kurt Vile and They Are Gutting a Body of Water among the performers.
Pavement
Indie rock legends Pavement and Philly’s own Kurt Vile are tag teaming both nights of the 11th annual Make The World Better benefit concerts, and some heavy-hitting rising stars are on board to support them and the concerts’ charitable mission.
This year’s shows will be held July 24 and July 25 at The Dell Music Center in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park.
Pavement will headline the July 24 show, with indie-country breakout stars and our March Artist to Watch Ratboys opening. The July 25 show will be Philly-focused, with Kurt Vile & the Violators headlining. Local shoegaze act They Are Gutting a Body of Water (TAGABOW) and New Orleans country-punk outfit Twisted Teens will support Vile and his band that day, as well.
Tickets are available now via presale, and general sales begin at 10 a.m. Friday. Get tickets online here.
“To be back at the Dell with one of the best lineups we’ve ever had is really exciting for me and our team at MTWB,” Make The World Better Co-Founder and former Philadelphia Eagles player Connor Barwin said. “It’s going to be an incredible few nights in Fairmount Park and I can’t wait to see everyone there.”
Barwin and his mother Margaret launched Make The World Better Foundation in 2013 during his rookie season with the Birds.
The foundation aims to provide access to high-quality public spaces offering safe outlets for recreation, sports, and arts-based activities in Philadelphia. To date, the organization has completed four park revitalization projects in Philadelphia, including Ralph Brooks Park in Point Breeze, Smith Playground in West Passyunk, Waterloo Playground in Kensington, and Vare Recreation Center in Grays Ferry. Construction is underway at Hart Park in South Kensington, as well.
“There’s nothing like a summer night in Philly with great music and a great purpose behind it,” Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson said. “The Make The World Better Concert Weekend at the Dell brings people together, and we’re proud our parks help bring it to life.”
The first Make The World Better benefit concert in 2014 featured Vile, The Districts, and The Tontons, with funds supporting the rehabilitation of Ralph Brooks Park. Previous iterations of the concert featured Philly favorites The War on Drugs, Waxahatchee, Japanese Breakfast, Hop Along, Marian Hill, Alex G, and more.