I am doing what I can to help a couple of old friends - concert promoter Gina Zampirelli & a building in Pasadena called The Raymond Theater - save this historic landmark from destruction.

The Raymond Theater, also known as Perkin's Palace, was the site of quite a few KEEL & Steeler shows. The live tracks from the new Steeler anthology were recorded there; the very first KEEL show ever was on that stage, the 'Somebody's Waiting' video was filmed there.

An astounding number of legendary superstars have performed there, and many of them - including David Lee Roth & Slash - are also heavily involved in the effort to keep the bulldozers away from these hallowed walls.

I'm asking all my friends and fans, and everyone who is interested in preserving an important piece of music history, to visit the venue's site http://raymondtheatre.com - read what's there, and shoot off some emails to those links on the site and show support of this cause. The following is from the Raymond Theater site:

"Our mission: to protect, preserve and revitalize Pasadena's historic Raymond Theatre.

Friends of the Raymond Theatre is a community-based non profit organization which was formed by the former Raymond Theatre manager and concert promoter, Gina Zamparelli. Friends of the Raymond Theatre has been in existence for 17 years, and currently has 7,000 supporters worldwide.

The organization was formed to meet the challenge of saving the Raymond Theatre from redevelopment. Through our work we have kept the Raymond Theatre standing 17 years past the date of the first demolition notice.

We have also developed a project and business plan that will allow the Raymond Theatre to be self-sustaining and would not require any city funding.

Every year we update our business plan to meet industry changes. We have engaged the assistance of both corporate sponsorship brokers and entertainment professionals. We have evaluated restoration costs, gathered documentation from the city on necessary code work, variances and permits.

Architects have assisted us with estimates on restoration and renderings for the redevelopment of the theatres adjoining parking lot. We have also brought several buyers forth who were financially able to implement the vision for the project. The owner has not excepted any legitimate offers to purchase the property to date. We continue to hold promise that we can find a buyer who is able to convince the city and the theatre owner that the Raymond Theatre is a vital historic and cultural resource worth saving."

[Edited on 5-12-2006 by RK]