Hundreds of music fans turned out over the course of two days to enjoy The Righteous Brothers – Bill Medley and Bucky Heard performing at the iconic Lido Theater, while raising funds for two worthwhile local organizations.
The inaugural Lido Legacy Live concerts benefited the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard Scholarship Program and Friends of OASIS Senior Center in Newport Beach.
On September 10 and 11, Medley and Heard performed the Righteous Brothers classic hits “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling, “Unchained Melody,” and many others, while the crowd sang and danced in the landmark theater.
In between the music, Medley told stories of the early days when he and Bobby Hatfield, his late music partner, first started and how they created their chart-topping hits.
The festive evenings included a reception along The Lido Walk, adjacent to the Lido Theater at Via Lido Plaza, with light bites provided by Lido House, The Cannery, and ZPizza.
Before the concert got underway, Brian Bissell, senior vice president at Whittier Trust – the presenting sponsor of the event – was introduced. He noted that the word “legacy” certainly fit the occasion.
“Legacy is a fitting theme for tonight because it means something different to each of us,” said Bissell. “Legacy is more than just financial assets. It’s the values we pass on, the character we build, and the impact we leave on our community. That’s why we’re so proud to support two organizations tonight that are such an important part of Newport Beach. And I know that personally because I grew up here, and I was a junior lifeguard, which around here is a rite of passage. It sure teaches you ocean safety, but what it really builds is character. Whether it’s completing the monster mile, body surfing on a red flag day, or taking that first jump off the pier, you learn to face your fears and discover that you’re capable of more than you thought. Character is built by facing challenges.”
Bissell noted that Whittier Trust has roots in Newport Beach that go back 90 years—they were founded in 1935 as a family office for the Whittier family, whose roots in Newport Beach date back to the earliest days of the Balboa Peninsula.
“We’re still proud to be a part of this community,” stated Bissell. “We’re celebrating two organizations tonight that make Newport Beach stronger. The Junior Lifeguard builds character in the next generation, and Oasis ensures that the wisdom, the values, and experiences of a lifetime continue to enrich this community, and that is a legacy we can all be proud of.”
Next up was Jordan Otterbein of the River Jetty Restaurant Group, the operators of the Lido Theater.
“I just want to say a few words about the theater and thank Fritz Duda (Lido Theater owner) for all he did and the millions of dollars he poured into this place to bring it back,” said Otterbein. “When he approached my partner McG and me about operating and managing the theater, we had a lot of meetings about what our vision was for the theater. It was going to be more than just showing movies. And if this is your first visit to the theater, I just want to tell you a few things about what we do here.”
He explained that every day they show a family-friendly movie starting at 8 a.m. that runs all day, and best of all, it’s free. Parents come and they bring their kids and they have coffee and a slice of coffee cake and watch a movie.
“People have really enjoyed it and embraced it, and that was part of what we wanted to bring to the theater, along with events like this,” said Otterbein. “We’re just hitting our stride on what we envision for the theater.”
Gary Conwell and Jeff Boyles of the Newport Beach Fire Department, which runs the Junior Lifeguard Program, were introduced.
Conwell explained that this summer, they had 1,550 Junior Lifeguards participate in the program, and they have a new Junior Lifeguard headquarters.
“That has changed our program immensely,” said Conwell. “It’s given us a foundation to educate our junior guards. Educate our instructors. Have city rentals. It’s an amazing building. So I know some of you out there had a hand in that. So thank you for that. I’m proud to be a part of this. Thank you for attending this evening. Our scholarship program is very strong. We gave 25 scholarships this year, and thanks to tonight and last night, we are going to be able to extend that program for at least another 10 years.”
A live auction was emceed by Newport Beach resident Bob Miller. Guests bid on prizes, including taking the stage to sing with Medley and Heard during the concert, a ride on Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard rescue boat, and a one-year membership to the OASIS Sailing Club.
Presented by Whittier Trust, the Lido Legacy Live benefit concert aims to be an annual fundraiser sponsored by Fritz Duda Company. Other sponsors of this year’s event were Eagle Four Partners, Fritz Duda Company, MSP Sports Capital, River Jetty Restaurant Group, Shea Homes, The Cannery, and Walkie and Janet Ray.
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