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Cancer patient holds online fundraising concert for frontline workers

"His first thing, his very first thing out of the shoot was to help, help somebody else, help the frontline nurses, doctors and staff."

BOISE, Idaho — Last December, KTVB spoke to a cancer patient and his close friend, who is a pianist and composer, about how their concerts raised roughly $50,000 for cancer treatments. Now, those friends are holding another benefit concert to raise money for the frontline workers who put their lives at risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rich Hall and his friend Keven Kirk used to spend an hour a month at Mountain States Cancer Clinic while Hall received chemo treatment for his pancreatic cancer. The friends would serenade the staff and other patients in what would be known as the Drip Lounge.

Their benefit concert in December was a massive hit and raised about $50,000 for cancer treatments.

After a remission diagnosis during the winter, Hall's cancer came back this spring. Now, he's dealing with the diagnosis by holding another benefit concert, this time for frontline workers.

"That's when he got his diagnosis and whereas most people would have an understandable amount of depression and anxiety, in five seconds he said, 'We gotta do another benefit right away, we have to do another concert.'" Kirk said. "That's just extraordinary to me. His first thing, his very first thing out of the shoot was to help, help somebody else, help the frontline nurses, doctors and staff."

For Hall, the benefit concert was just the right thing to do.

"COVID is now something that has touched every one of us every day when we can't go out and do things we're used to doing," Hall explained, "and so this just became natural."

When the idea to do another benefit concert came up, Hall wanted to do it for both cancer and COVID-19 since he believes both have a major impact on those who get sick with them.

Kirk and Hall will debut a new song that was written before the pandemic began, but they believe it is a perfect fit for what is happening now.

The online concert, Let's Fight COVID (And Cancer) Together!, will be live at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

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