Alice Cooper, Paul Rodgers, Josh Homme and more announced for Plaza Theatre benefit

Efforts to restore the historic Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs are about to get a boost from some prominent rock musicians.

On Nov. 11, the Plaza Theatre will host the Rock the Plaza All-Star Concert featuring rock legend Alice Cooper, Bad Company and Free frontman Paul Rodgers, former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum, local musician and Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and more.

Tickets start at $175. For more information, visit SaveThePlazaTheatrePS.org or send an email info@psplazatheatre.org.

J.R. Roberts, a former Palm Springs city councilmember who chairs The Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, said he's "thrilled" about the event.

"In the tradition of the Plaza Theatre, the stars come out to shine," Roberts said. "We're excited this group of artists and superstars are willing to come and do this for the theater. We realize most of them don't live here, but they're coming to support this theater for one night."

Roberts told The Desert Sun in July that inflation and the cost of materials over the past year have caused them to raise their goal to $16 million from earlier estimates of $12 million. Under the best-case scenario, Roberts said, if the renovations cost less than $16 million, the rest could go into an endowment fund.

"A year ago, we would have felt confident that $12 million would have covered the job, but because of spiraling inflation and some building materials going up 30% and 40%, we want to safeguard and raise our fundraising goal," Roberts said in July.

In June, Roberts said his goal was to finish fundraising this year, then begin the restoration work in January 2023, with a goal of completing it by the end of the year.

After a lull due to the pandemic, efforts to restore the theater recently got back on track following a $5 million donation in October from television and theater producer — and Palm Springs resident — David Lee.

The theater was built in 1936 and had 800 seats. It opened with the premiere of the movie “Camille” and hosted screenings and broadcast radio programs featuring celebrities such as Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

The Plaza Theatre was established as a Class I Historic Site by the Palm Springs City Council in 1991 and hosted the first Palm Springs International Film Festival under the direction of then-Mayor Sonny Bono. It was also home to the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a dance and musical-review show with performers 55 and older, for 22 years before its final curtain call in 2014.

After redevelopment agencies were dissolved in 2011, the property was transferred to the city's successor agency to the Community Redevelopment Agency. The successor agency's oversight board approved the sale of the theater to the city for $1 in 2015, on the conditions that it would not be demolished and that the city would assume financial responsibility for maintenance and renovations.

Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Alice Cooper, Josh Homme and more announced for Plaza Theatre benefit