The jam band scene is rallying around Iggy Friday, an 11-year-old Burlington, VT child battling acute lymphoid leukemia. For the second time, a slew of notable artists have donated unique items and experiences to be auctioned off as part of the #IggyStrong fundraiser, running from now through Sunday, July 11th 5 p.m. ET here.
Iggy’s father, Chris Friday, is a longtime staple of the Burlington music community. With the help of auction organizers Cate Esser and Danny Bennett, the #IggyStrong auction obtained merchandise and tickets from Phish, Primus, moe., Goose, Umphrey’s McGee, Twiddle, and many more to help raise funds for Iggy’s treatment.
Among the most notable items up for auction are a pair of donut dresses worn onstage by Phish drummer Jon Fishman. The first garment was worn onstage by Fishman between 1998 and 2011 and, as of publication time, has a high bid of more than $11,000.
As Fishman explains in a note about the item on the auction website, “This dress was one of two donut dresses which were literally the 2nd + 3rd dresses I ever owned. After the original (which was acquired from a free box at the Salvation Army) became too worn to be worn, a couple of guys in Japan, who’s [sic] names escape me, produced two exact replicas, though out of a heavier material. This is one of those two replicas. I wore it for at least half the gigs of every tour from about 1998 – 2011. You’ll notice a patch in the left half of the mid section – that’s where the back of my drumstick of my snare drum hand would eventually wear a hole through.”
The second Fishman dress up for auction is the Bernie Sanders-themed garment Fishman wore during the Vermont Senator’s first Presidential campaign in 2016. As Fishman notes on the auction listing, “I only wore this on and off for about a year during his presidential campaign. It was made my by current dress making assistant/friend – Lisa Simpson specially for that year’s touring.” The current high bid on the Bernie muumuu is just under $5,000.
Also up for auction is the Kaoss Pad that Trey Anastasio used on a notable Radiohead cover on Lemon Night of the Baker’s Dozen in August 2017, a private performance by Soule Monde, and more. Various festivals and venues have also gotten in on the auction, with (4) GA weekend passes for Suwannee Hulaween, (2) VIP Passes to Hogs for the Cause, (5) pairs of tickets to a show at White Oak Music Hall, and other concert experiences up for auction.Jon
Browse the various items up for auction and place your bids here or make a donation to support Iggy here.
Below, read a statement from Chris Friday about his son’s battle with the rare form of leukemia and his gratitude for the support.
Hey all artists, athletes, management, and patrons. Chris Friday here. You may remember me from such films as, “Backstage At Higher Ground”, or, “That Fat Singer From Touchpants”, or, “The Bald Dude Who Works For Jam Bands”, or……anyway, I’m also the father of Iggy Friday. Iggy is my 11-year-old son. Iggy contracted Acute Lymphoid Leukemia on Feb. 20th. Iggy is one of 5% of leukemia patients who developed the Philadelphia chromosome in his bone marrow, making his fight that much harder. Iggy has been fighting hard this whole time, and has spent the majority of that time in the hospital getting treatment. Iggy will be spending the majority of the summer and into September in the hospital trying to eradicate this from his system entirely. He is doing well, fingers crossed but has a long road ahead and the treatments are no fun on a child of his age. Iggy is a hockey player, a baseball player, a video game enthusiast, dabbles in the drums (wants to get back into it), and an all-around great kid.
My dear friends Cate Esser and Danny Bennett are once again throwing another auction/raffle to benefit Iggy in whatever way possible through his struggle. This auction is for the purpose of serving those who wished to donate/benefit on the first auction that was held a few months ago, but missed the deadline in getting an item in. Cate and Danny are saints who have really gone out of their way to put this all together. They are also part of the music business and have been working with me and without me for decades, and I cherish their friendship and hard work ethic, as well as them putting up with my warped sense of humor.
I thank everyone involved and all that are donating items, to help Iggy in his struggle to make life better. It’s been a challenging road for him and our family, and new curveballs are thrown at us every day. Having our friends do this means the world to us, and having you all as the most amazing supportive community behind us, warms our hearts in so many ways.
Love,
Friday