The Event returns this month to Hard Rock: Tyler Rich to headline May 25 concert with tickets now available to the public

May 5—The annual fundraising concert The Event will return on May 25 to Hard Rock Live in Wheatland. However, this time it will be open to the public.

Headliner and local superstar Tyler Rich will once again be the highlight of the show with Dawson Anderson, formerly of Temecula Road, bringing his new band in to start the night off.

As in previous years, proceeds from The Event benefit Yuba-Sutter area charities and this year is no different.

Organizer and former Sierra Central Credit Union CEO John Cassidy said he wanted to make the 11th edition of the show more available to the public to not only ensure more money is distributed to those in need, but also bring attention to the fairly new music venue in Wheatland.

Last year's concert, which was a private event driven by sponsorship sales, was the first at the Hard Rock Live venue at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain in Wheatland. Previously, The Event was held at Peach Tree Golf & Country Club in Marysville.

"Tickets are currently available," Cassidy said. "The big difference this year is that tickets are available to the general public. We want to fill that place up again because it's such a spectacular venue."

Cassidy said money from this year's version of The Event will benefit TIP, the Trauma Intervention Program based in Yuba-Sutter; the Canine Officer's Association; and the Wheatland High School District baseball program. Last year, a record $50,000 was handed out to "three outstanding organizations that make the quality of life in our region much better for all," Cassidy said. Those organizations included SAYLove, the Yuba City K-9 Officers Association and the Yuba-Sutter-Colusa United Way.

After the 2022 concert, checks were presented to each. SAYLove received $30,000, Yuba-Sutter-Colusa United Way received $15,000 and the Yuba City K-9 Officers Association received $5,000.

Previously, Cassidy said The Event originally started in 2013 with headliner Dave Mason.

"I created it. I started it for three reasons. The club (Peach Tree Golf & Country Club) needed some improvements. The club has been the number one venue where charitable dollars have been raised since I moved here in 1985 and long before that. ... It's been the number one location. ... There was really no concert venue, per se," Cassidy said in 2022. "... Secondly, we raised money for charity. Each year we pick a charity, a different one, so somebody benefitted to the tune of anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 every year. And then thirdly, just to get people in the local community together once a year, that's why it's called The Event, you don't want to miss The Event every year. Our goal was to provide a platform for that. Outdoors, everybody (has a) real nice vibe, great sound. ... We did it right."

Cassidy previously said the move to Hard Rock Live in Wheatland allowed for more money to flow to charities and it relieved Peach Tree Golf & Country Club from having to deal with the logistical complexities of hosting a proper outdoor concert — one that not only had effects on the golf course itself but involved a large amount of staff and money to pull it off.

"It's really nice not to have to reinvent the wheel," Cassidy previously said. "Because every year we had to build a stage, build the video boards, build a sound system, bring it all in — generators, security, had to create a concert venue. With the move to Hard Rock, obviously that all goes away, so more money gets to go back to charity."

Cassidy said because of the move to Hard Rock Live, money collected for the charities was funneled through the Enterprise Rancheria community fund, the tribe that owns and runs the Hard Rock casino and hotel.

"The new relationship gave us the opportunity to save thousands of dollars in production costs, while eliminating significant operational variables each year," Cassidy said in an email to sponsors for this year's concert. "Going forward, this event structure gives us the opportunity to generate significantly more money for the nonprofit organizations chosen each year."

Since Rich last performed at The Event in 2022, he has released four hit songs that have gained popularity, according to Cassidy. Those songs include "Trucks Don't Lie," "I Know You Do," "Heaven is Your Hometown," and "Good Enough."

"This 2023 concert event will once again be a celebration of our Northern California region's unprecedented economic synergy, leadership, growth and 'Nashville West' music," Cassidy said. "As we are moving past the serious COVID-19 challenges, I cannot think of a more enjoyable evening of great entertainment and mingling to again kick off your Memorial Day weekend."

The Event will take place on May 25 and start at 8 p.m. Hard Rock Live is located at 3317 Forty Mile Rd. in Wheatland. Tickets are currently available on the Ticketmaster website — https://tinyurl.com/54285wtx — and are $39.50 each.