For the fourth consecutive year, I have had the priviledge to lead the photography team for the Rusty Ball. This year, the venue was moved from upstairs to downstairs at the Duke Energy Center. The demand for tickets has been so overwhelming the past two years, the Rusty Griswolds decided to move to the larger space to accommodate all the ticket interest.
The concert was awesome, once again. Guests began to arrive at 6:30 for the VIP party that preceded the arrival of the general public. The list of celebrities was long and they could not have been more gracious.
This year, we had a sharp increase in the number of baskets and silent auction items submitted thanks to our generous community. It was difficult to get elbow room at the tables in the minutes leading up to The Griswolds taking the stage.
This year, the band decided to go old school rock and roll with the stage set up – lots of lights and smoke to set the tone. We all have our favorite songs from the 80s and having them performed live makes them even better. The energy was red-lined the whole night with the crowd jumping up and down to Rebel Yell, pumping their fists into the air with every refrain.
The live auction was the best we’ve seen since the inception of the Ball. The purely entertaining, high energy Bob Herzog took the mic and used his razor-sharp emcee skills to plead, cajole, and challenge the crowd to raise their bids on items such as vacation packages to New York and Hawaii, a guitar signed by Sir Paul McCartney, and TWO autographed Icky Woods footballs used during the on-stage Icky Shuffle performance. Bob was exceptional on Saturday, pushing the bids on the McCartney guitar up to $15,000. Yes, you read that correctly.
After the auction, the crowd once again pushed towards the stage for another set from The Griswolds. By this time, people were full of liquid courage and they completely let their hair down. I saw people of all ages dancing to the electric sounds emminating from the stage – it was wonderful to watch. The Griswolds closed with Come on Eileen as their curtain call. A great close to a wonderful night that will benefit so many in the Greater Cincinnati area.
If you haven’t had a chance to attend the first four Rusty Balls, let me encourage you to get your tickets for next year. It is a fun and exciting event whose proceeds benefit the charities in your local neighborhoods. A great band, a great cause, a great match.
Thank you Rusty Griswolds.
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