Not even a surprise downpour could stop the men of Chi Psi Fraternity at Alpha Delta Delta (Cal) from putting on an epic charity concert at their Lodge last month.
“It started pouring rain the day of the show, and we had to move everything from the courtyard to the dining room, last-minute,” says Ben Mason, ΔΔ ’26, who organized the show. “But it was still a huge success – we had close to 100 attendees!”
Brother Mason, who plays in several bands himself, including two on the lineup for the benefit concert, says the idea originated from the revamped Lodge and its great spaces for concerts. Even though they couldn’t end up using the outdoor stage, due to the storm, he says it will hopefully kickstart an annual tradition of holding charity concerts at the Lodge.
“We have a lot of valuable space here that I think has been underutilized in the past,” says Mason. “I definitely want to start a recurring event like this that will carry on in those spaces at the Lodge.”
Mason, who is from San Diego, booked two of his own bands: Persimmon (“some heavy songs”) and Please Laugh (“more chill, Indie music”). He also recruited a band from Los Angeles called Rose Avenue, who another Delta Delta Brother was connected to personally. But the real coup was snagging a band Mason calls “relatively famous” to play at the Lodge.
“I was really happy to book High Sunn to headline the show,” he says. “They are from San Francisco so it was cool to have a local band here, but they also are big enough that they literally took off for a tour of Japan the next day.”
