THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “There’s a lot of people who put in immeasurable effort behind the scenes to make the gears of The Hold Steady machine run well. If you’ve gone to any THS show since 2017, there has been one constant at each and every show weekend: our tour manager Dave Burton.
Three weeks ago Dave suffered a stroke while working with another artist at a music festival in Louisville. While the long-term prognosis for Dave’s recovery is encouraging, the short-term challenges are immense. To be a dedicated tour manager at the level Dave performs the job is a crazy, wild, supremely detailed action. All of the behind the scenes crew members who you might not see or notice at any show you attend work long hours, mostly driven by their love of music and the adventures the road life can bring. But the flip side of that is that many touring professionals do not have access to health care coverage.
In addition to our physical and emotional support, Burton is going to need access to financial resources far beyond the means of a tour manager. A number of different fundraising avenues will be coming over the next few months to assist Dave in returning to a normal life as quickly as possible. Until those avenues have been solidified and in place, The Hold Steady will be donating all proceeds from Bandcamp purchases towards Dave’s recovery resources. There will be other events in the coming months where THS will continue to donate earnings to Dave. We are also asking you to be an active participant to assist someone who’s done a massive part to help this community be able to thrive over the years.
Enjoy the music. Give whatever you can. Send good vibes to Dave by whatever method works for you.”
