Hammerstein Ballroom
311 West 34th St. between Eighth & Ninth Aves.
Thursday, October 23, $250, 7:30
www.littlekidsrock.org/2014benefit
www.mcstudios.com/the-hammerstein
The sixth annual Little Kids Rock Benefit is set for October 23 at the Hammerstein Ballroom, and a limited number of second balcony tickets are being made available to the general public through Ticketmaster at a mere $250. (Other packages range from $750 to $100,000.) Produced by Steven and Maureen Van Zandt, the fundraiser supports music education in public schools; this year’s all-star lineup includes performances by Alice Cooper, Billie Joe Armstrong, Cheap Trick, Tommy James, Kathleen Hanna with Ad-Rock, Darlene Love, Jesse Malin, Glen Hansard, Mike Ness, and Brody Dalle. The 2014 Rocker of the Year is the one and only Joan Jett, while the Big Man of the Year is Jake Clemons, following in the footsteps of his uncle Clarence, who was honored at the inaugural benefit in 2009. Mike Pratt, the CEO of Guitar Center, is the corporate honoree. The stated mission of Little Kids Rock is simple: “We won’t rest until every student has the opportunity to unlock his or her inner music-maker. . . . Over the past 12 years, we have given more than 300,000 under-served schoolchildren across the U.S. access to fun, engaging, Modern Band music classes and brand new instruments at no cost to the students, teachers, or school districts.”