Smashing Pumpkins Raise Over $80,000 For Madina Lake Bassist

On Tuesday, July 27th, a sold-out benefit concert was held for Madina Lake bassist Matthew Leone by the Smashing Pumpkins.  Billy Corgan and the band raised over $80,000 to cover medical expenses for Leone, who remains hospitalized after suffering severe injuries while trying to break up a fight in Chicago last month.  The bassist's health insurance had expired two months prior to the incident.  At one point in the show, Corgan removed his guitar from his neck after playing the song "1979" and auctioned it off to the crowd for $10,000.

Corgan said the event "put an emotional charge into our show that was unlike anything I've ever experienced."  Illinois Governor Pat Quinn attended the performance and dubbed July 27th "Matthew Leone Day" throughout the state of Illinois.  Quinn called Leone "a true American hero."

                
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