As a dockhand at the Gulf Shores Marina in Fort Morgan, I have seen the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill firsthand. I can’t even begin to describe the helplessness I have felt while watching the coastlines I love become tainted by tarballs and oil slicks.
For a while, I couldn’t even stand to watch the news. I got so aggravated with all of the “talking” and “planning” by BP and the government. I was ready to see something done. I wanted attention and awareness. I wanted action.
During one of my afternoon breaks in early June, I went upstairs to soak up some AC and talk to my co-worker, Carlee Griffin. We talked about how sick we were of empty promises from BP. Our home was being destroyed. It felt like the entire Gulf Coast was screaming for help, but the rest of the world just turned away. Carlee suggested organizing a benefit concert.
I liked the idea, but had no clue how to plan anything like it. We decided to begin our grassroots efforts on Facebook. The massive social media site connects millions of people and has helped in launching political campaigns and numerous awareness groups. It was a start.
We sent invitations to all of our friends, hoping that someone would know someone with a venue, a band or funding. The first day we gained more than 2,500 members; within the next three weeks, it exploded to more than 55,000 members.
Our group was growing faster than we anticipated. We received hundreds of emails from local bands, but still had no venue. The pressure to get something done, and done fast, was extremely overwhelming. We had requests for major headliners, especially Jimmy Buffett, that we had no way of contacting, but we wouldn’t give up. We didn’t want to let our supporters down. We emailed everyone we could possibly think of.
I decided to take a long shot and email Huka Entertainment, the company responsible for creating and promoting the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores in May, to ask for their help. One week later I received an email from one of Huka’s executives that changed everything: “Thank you for your interest in helping the Gulf Coast. Huka now has something in the works and is watching your Facebook page. I would like to have a coordinated campaign going across your page.”
The email went on to detail the concert line-up, which included none other than Mr. Jimmy Buffett.
The next two weeks were filled with emails, phone calls and Facebook updates. Our Facebook page became a means of communication between Huka and the public. We notified our members of the bands to be performing, times and places to order tickets, and even organized a carpooling system.
The 35,000 free tickets were all claimed in less than 6 minutes. The benefit concert was finally taking shape. There was a nearly tangible reward for all of our hard work.
There were some minor setbacks along the way. The concert was postponed 10 days because of Hurricane Alex. The Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney had to pull out of the line-up because of previously scheduled commitments.
On July 11, however, the public beach in Gulf Shores was packed with Parrotheads and tourists. Buffett gave a great performance and brought much needed encouragement to the Gulf Coast locals. Buffett’s island tunes could be heard nearly a mile away from the venue. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget. I was proud to know that I played a small part in promoting the event.
The goal of our Facebook group was to raise awareness surrounding the oil spill and to support the Gulf’s tourism-based economy. Hopefully, the support for the Gulf will continue to pour in. Our beaches are still beautiful and we are working around the clock to keep them that way.
The Gulf Coast needs your continued support. Huka Entertainment has a few more concerts in the works. Though details have yet to be released, you can visit our Facebook page, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Benefit Concert, to stay updated on all of the benefit efforts along the Gulf Coast.
