NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Rock 'n Roll Hall of Famer Gregg Allman has partnered with drug company Merck and the the American Liver Foundation on Tune In to Hep C, a public health campaign to help raise awareness of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
To help raise awareness for the cause, a benefit concert featuring The Allman Brothers Band will be held in New York on July 27, the eve of World Hepatitis Day.
The concert, Tune In to Hep C Presents The Allman Brothers Band, will take place at The Beacon Theatre in New York City on July 27, the eve of World Hepatitis Day. The Beacon Theatre has special meaning for Allman, who has played there every year since 1991 with the exception of 2007, when the band had to cancel their performance because Allman was too ill from his chronic hepatitis C to play. Tickets go on sale , Wednesday, June 22 at 12:00PM EDT. Tickets are available at LiveNation.com, Ticketmaster.com, select Ticketmaster locations and charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets also will be available at The Beacon Theatre box office beginning June 23.
Nearly 3.2 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C virus infection, a potentially serious disease that can damage the liver over time and lead to cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and liver cancer. Many people infected with chronic hepatitis C do not know that they have the virus – approximately 60 to 80 percent of people infected with chronic hepatitis C virus do not have symptoms.
"I'm excited to be working with Merck and the American Liver Foundation because there are many people who have been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C, but aren't taking action. I want to tell them, don't wait. Doing nothing is not an option; they need to talk with their doctor," said Allman, a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. "I made the decision to take action and talk to my doctor, so that I could get back to making the music I love. I want others to take that action too, and if I can help make that happen, I've done my job." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
