A new GoFundMe has been launched to benefit legendary tour manager Dave Burton after he suffered a massive stroke while working in Louisville, KY last month. The Dave Burton Recovery Fund has already raised more than $85,000 towards his medical expenses and ongoing care. To donate, please visit www.gofundme.com/f/dave-burton-recovery-fund.
Currently convalescing in his home in Brooklyn, NY after 3-1/2 weeks in a Louisville hospital, Dave Burton is a true road warrior. With 25 years of experience spanning all forms of global touring and live production, from the bar to the corporate event, the seemingly infinite list of artists with whom he’s worked includes: The Hold Steady, Drive-By Truckers, Broken Social Scene, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Andrew Bird, Head and the Heart, The New Pornographers, The Shins, Liz Phair, Animal Collective, Peaches, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Primal Scream, Beach House, Best Coast, Suicide, Heartless Bastards, Foetus, Swans, Michael Gira, Sleigh Bells, The Cribs, The Vaccines, Dirty Projectors, Franz Ferdinand, Liars, Mercury Rev, Cut Copy, The Pop Group, Caesars, Pan Sonic, Gluecifer, and many more.
To be a dedicated tour manager at Dave Burton’s level requires detailed action and long hours, mostly driven by a love of music and the adventures road life can bring. But the flip side of that is that many touring professionals do not have access to health care coverage. While the long-term prognosis for Burton’s recovery is encouraging, the short-term challenges are immense. Along with physical and emotional support, Burton will need access to financial resources far beyond the means of a tour manager. In addition to the GoFundMe campaign, The Hold Steady are donating all proceeds from Bandcamp purchases towards Burton’s recovery resources, including two just-released live recordings, Live in Toronto 5-4-22 and Live in Nashville 6-3-22, both available now as Name Your Price digital downloads. A number of different fundraising avenues will also be announced over the coming months to assist Burton in returning to a normal life as quickly as possible. For more information, please visit theholdsteady.bandcamp.com/music.
VISIT DAVE BURTON’S GOFUND ME PAGE
VISIT THE HOLD STEADY BANDCAMP
BUY LIVE IN TORONTO 5-4-22
BUY LIVE IN NASHVILLE 6-3-22
“Dave Burton is beloved by the members of The Hold Steady but also by the THS community for being an amazing tour manager and an even better person. He makes our lives better in a million ways and has friends in every single place we visit. We are heartbroken that Dave has had this setback and are hoping for our incredible friend and comrade’s full recovery”
– CRAIG FINN, THE HOLD STEADY
“David Burton. Great father, film aficionado (he probably would hate that term), foodie (pretty sure he would hate that one too), excellent writer (his recent piece for the revamped Creem is some of my favorite music writing all year), Rocker, par excellence. A man for all seasons. He’s also one of the finest Tour Managers ever to take that horrifically hard and thankless job. His prognosis is very good, but it’s going to be a long hard road to get there and will require way more resources than any Tour Manager makes (even one of the world’s best). We’re all asking for anyone to do whatever they can to help David get back in the saddle so he can continue being so stellar at the many things he does so well. He’s grumpy, but we love him. Very much.”
– PATTERSON HOOD, DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
“This guy climbs mountains for bands, colleagues and friends. Smart as they come and rolls like a hero every time he shows up. Let’s help Burton feel the community’s love for him. He’s looked after so many and now it’s time to help look after him.”
– KEVIN DREW, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
