Proceeds Benefit Chicago Youth Through Cubs President Theo Epstein’s Foundation To Be Named Later

Chicago, IL – Pearl Jam frontman and rock icon Eddie Vedder will join an all-star lineup of musicians at Wrigleyville’s Metro Thursday, July 9, for the fourth annual Hot Stove Cool Music Chicago benefit concert. The Evanston, Illinois native will join Hall of Fame baseball writer Peter Gammons, Chicago Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper and Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein at the annual event celebrating music, baseball and giving back. Proceeds benefit Chicago youth through Epstein’s Foundation To Be Named Later (FTBNL).

The fundraiser will feature ensemble performances by Chicago and Boston rockers including John Stirratt (Wilco), Daxx Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Jennifer Hall, Matt Spiegel and Curt Morrison (Tributosaurus), Freda Love Smith (Blake Babies, Mysteries of Life), Jake Smith (Mysteries of Life), Gerald Dowd, Jason Narducy (Split Single, Bob Mould), Brendan Bayliss(Umphrey’s McGee), Will Dailey, Chris Cote, Phil Aiken, Paul Ahlstrand and more.

Vedder will join Epstein, Gammons and Kasper for a performance with the Hot Stove All Stars. WXRT’s Lin Brehmer, actor Joel Murray and actor/comedian Mike O’Malley will serve as the evening’s emcees.

A limited amount of general admission tickets will be released at noon. Tickets will be available for $75, online at www.metrochicago.com or in person at the Metro Box Office located at 3730 N. Clark St. There will be no service fees for cash purchases at the Metro Box Office. VIP tickets can also be purchased online at www.metrochicago.com.

In addition to the concert, the evening will include several special guests as well as live and silent auctions featuring signed sports memorabilia and priceless entertainment experiences.

Hot Stove Cool Music was founded in 2000 by Gammons and former Boston Herald sports writer Jeff Horrigan. The biannual event has raised more than $6 million for the Foundation To Be Named Later. FTBNL was founded in 2005 by Epstein and his brother, Paul Epstein, as a means to create positive opportunities for disadvantaged youth and families.

Hot Stove Cool Music is presented by Chicago Trading Co. Other sponsors include The Alter Group, Ascendance Partners, Athletes on the Move, Atlantis Cars & Limos, Budweiser, Chicago Cubs, Comcast, Elevate, Ella & Scott Goldstein, Freedom Boat Club, Greenberg Traurig, Grosvenor Capital Mgmt., KPMG, Metro, Real Industries, Sidley, Victory Park Capital, Walmart, WGN-TV and WXRT FM.

Nonprofit beneficiaries include Chicago Children’s Choir, City Year Chicago, Garfield Park Little League, Girls in the Game, Jackie Robinson West, Marwen. Special Olympics and South Chicago Arts Center.

###

ABOUT HOT STOVE COOL MUSIC
Hot Stove Cool Music is a biannual charity concert and musical variety show held in Boston in the winter and in Chicago in the summer months, making its debut in Chicago in summer 2012. The event was created in December of 2000 by Hall of Fame Baseball journalist Peter Gammons and former Boston Herald sports writer Jeff Horrigan. Over the past 15 years, Hot Stove Cool Music has become a staple on Boston’s entertainment calendar and has raised more than $6 million for Theo and Paul Epstein’s Foundation To Be Named Later.

About Foundation To Be Named Later (FTBNL)
Foundation To Be Named Later (FTBNL) was launched in Spring of 2005 by Paul Epstein, a social worker in the Brookline, Massachusetts, public school system, and his twin brother, former Boston Red Sox Executive Vice President/General Manager and current Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein. Named after the MLB trade term, player to be named later, the mission of FTBNL is to raise funds and awareness for nonprofit agencies, working on the front lines, serving disadvantaged youth and families. FTBNL invests in programs that teach leadership, education and healthy development of families.

FTBNL has given more than $6.5 million in grants and in kind donations to more than 200 nonprofit organizations in Chicago and Boston and has sent approximately 4,000 children, who would not otherwise get the chance to go to a Cubs or Red Sox home game. The Peter Gammons/FTBNL College Scholarship (named in honor of Hall of Famer and FTBNL Champion, Peter Gammons) is the signature program of FTBNL and has sent more than 50 young people with high financial needs and high educational potential to the college of their choice. Each Gammons Scholar gets an adult mentor and a laptop computer to ensure college success.

For more information on Foundation To Be Named Later programs and events, or to make a donation, please visit www.foundationtobenamedlater.org.

About Cubs Charities
Cubs Charities harnesses the passion of Cubs fans to improve the lives of children and families across Chicago and beyond. Cubs Charities’ goal is to provide increased access to sports opportunities and target improvements in health, fitness and education for those at risk. Through grants to quality nonprofit programs, development of parks and baseball fields, and other community initiatives, the Cubs and Cubs Charities help fulfill a commitment to be the best in the game, on and off the field. For more information, visit www.cubscharities.org.

About Metro
Metro is one of the country’s most renowned independent concert venues. Established in July 1982, Metro has become a hub for new and developing local, regional and national artists, as well as showcasing the best cutting edge bands from around the globe for more than thirty years. For more information, visit www.metrochicago.com.

Media Contact
Nicole Pare, Metro: 773-549-4140, ext., 212, Nicole@metrochicago.com
Alyson Cohen, Chicago Cubs: 773-404-4128, acohen@cubs.com
Keith Gainsboro, Elevate Communications: 617-895-7905, keith@elevatecom.com