Skip to content

MUSIC NOTES: Rock Beats Cancer concert to remember Rocket Norton

October date for benefit concert at Coquitlam casino
rocketnortondrums
Drummer Rocket Norton on stage in 2022.

Local rockers will converge in Coquitlam for another Rock Beats Cancer benefit concert on Thursday, Oct. 17, at Great Canadian Casino's theatre.

The night will pay tribute to drummer Rocket Norton, who planned the annual shows and helped raise $660,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation before his death on April 5.

This time, the October concert will feature members of Loverboy (Mike Reno, Paul Dean), Chilliwack (Bill Henderson, Ab Bryant), Powder Blues Band (Tom Lavin), Lee Aaron Band (Lee Aaron, John Cody, Dave Reimer), Barney Bentall, Trooper’s Hot Shots (Tommy Stewart, Frank Ludwig, Doni Underhill, David Wills, Ray Roper), Streetheart (Jeff Neill, Paul McNair), Seeds of Time (Lindsay Mitchell, John Hall, Al Harlow) and others.

The evening will also include a live auction of music memorabilia as well as a video tribute to Norton, best known for his work with the band Prism.

All musicians involved donate their time and energy to the cancer-fighting cause, and production costs are underwritten by Wheaton Precious Metals. Tickets are sold on rockbeatscancer.com.

“We shared a wonderful evening with Rocket just a few days before he left us," stated Lee Aaron and John Cody. "He was filled with so much passion and joy for what had been accomplished with these events. We promised to carry the legacy forward, and are delighted that every one of these artists immediately jumped on board to keep it going. It’s a testament to the heart of our Canadian music community.”

Proceeds from Rock Beats Cancer go to BC Cancer Foundation's Personalized Onco-Genomics (POG) Program, considered a world-leading research initiative that uses intensive genomic data collection and analysis to identify and understand the genomic alterations that drive cancer growth, metastasis and the biological evolution and response to therapies, according to an event advisory. "All donations to this program are matched dollar for dollar by the Federal Government of Canada, doubling the impact of all ticket and auction revenue," the release notes.



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news for Surrey Now-Leader and Black Press Media
Read more



Pop-up banner image