The Last Call Celebration in Review
The Last Call Celebration
The Tumbleweeds in Stillwater hosted the Chad Sullins Last Call Celebration on Saturday July 31st in honor of our dear friend who passed away from heart complications on June 27th. The benefit was organized not only to celebrate his legacy and life, but also as a way to raise money for his three children that he left behind.
The gracious hosts of the Tumbleweed were phenomenal in their accommodations and helpfulness. I helped organize the raffle and silent auction, and from the moment I walked in the doors that morning until I left over twelve hours later, they were amazing at offering me assistance with anything that I could possibly need. They went above and beyond at making sure everything went smoothly. I’m quite sure they did the same for everyone else there. They were outstanding, and I give them all the high praise.
I need to give a shout out to everyone that donated and participated with the raffle and auction, but I also have to give a special mention to my daughter Starla. She sold tickets, answered questions and held down the raffle tables for hours on her own as I ran around recording interviews for the BackStage Queens Podcast. I could have never done it all without her help.
I was also blown away by the amount of donations we received for the raffle and auction, including 2 passes to Mile 0 fest along with a Mile 0 Fest guitar which was delivered by Kyle Carter of the Festival. The Tumbleweed donated passes to the upcoming City Limits Festival, photographers Tom Harris and Sean Payne donated prints, Oklamerica donated gift packs, Jaco Knives donated a knife, Chad’s Uncle Rick donated a Gibson guitar, Bryon White of the Damn Quails handmade an art piece with an old guitar carved with ‘Only Girl’ lyrics, and these were just a few. Not only did people graciously give the prizes, but the fans generously bid on items and bought raffle tickets by the dozens. A handmade t-shirt quilt made by fan Cyndi Vanderberg sold for $700, and a handcrafted knife with Chad’s initials made by fan Glen Roach sold for $500. These were just a couple of the remarkable items that were donated and auctioned at the event.
Rick Owens and Ragan Parkerson, two of Chad’s dear friends, were the spearheads of getting this event planned, organized and pulled off with the help of the Red Dirt Relief Fund, Katie Dale and Tumbleweeds. They did a fantastic job and no doubt worked their tails off at getting it to come together as wonderfully as it did. Well done guys, you created an event that truly honored our friend. There were dozens of others that worked just as hard behind the scenes, too many to list, but I saw you all, thank you.
Aleisha Rains, Chad’s ex-wife, even had a Trudy cake made of Chad’s guitar, and various cookies with album covers and photos.
The line up was ridiculously full of talented artists who came in and gave it their all to honor their friend and entertain the crowd.
Speaking of the crowd, there was a line of fans ready to get in before the doors even opened at noon, and they packed the house. It was a sold-out show, which is a testament to how many fans and friends Chad collected along the way. Seeing his name in the lights on the sign above the Weed choked up many people, including myself, as I imagined Chad’s dimpled smile at the sight of the turnout and the fuss we were all making over him.
There were so many great songs played, so many talented artists. But I have to say, there were a couple that just stopped me in my tracks and brought tears to my eyes. One of these was Ben McKenzie’s version of ‘Missing You’. Ben is one of Oklahoma’s hidden treasures, and his voice and style are incredible. Chloe-Beth’s version of ‘December’ was the second one. This young lady has talent for days, and her version of Chad’s song is hauntingly beautiful. Both of these extraordinary young musicians have so much natural talent and presence on stage. They also both have a history and love with Chad, as did every single musician there. A big thank you must go out to every single musician that showed up and played that day, again too many to list individually.
The most bittersweet moment of the night had to have been when Presley Sullins, Chad’s youngest daughter, took the stage with his long-time friend Nick Gibson and sang ‘I’ll Always Remember Us This Way’, from the movie “A Star is Born” with Lady Gaga. It was a song Chad and Presley had recorded together before his death, and the lyrics pull on the heartstrings. Especially with Presley singing it for her dad. I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the room when it happened, and I’m incredibly proud of Presley and the strength she displayed that day on stage.
Of course, the Red Dirt Rangers put on a fantastic set, Kyle Nix and Dylan Stewart are always a delight to watch play, Jack Waters and the Unemployed are impressive, and at the end of the night BC and the Big Rig put on a hell of a rock show, featuring many of Chad’s songs. It was an even bigger treat that they invited the guys from the Last Call Coalition, Chad’s previous band, up to perform as well. The fans went wild for it.
I hadn’t gotten to see the guys from the Last Call Coalition in a few years, some much longer than others, and it was like a family reunion to both hug their necks and sit down and record a BackStage Queens podcast episode with them. It warmed my heart to be able to share stories and laughter at some of the crazy things that went on during their hey-day, and we look forward to getting that episode out to you to hear.
Leah Rae, my co-host, and I were able to sit down with several different people during the event and share stories about Chad and what he meant to them, including Jesse Hacker and Lord Joseph Melton, and it will definitely result in more than one episode, so stay tuned for that.
I’ve attended many a benefit for our fallen red dirt musicians, but this one seemed to take the cake. The feeling of camaraderie and fellowship, and all of our grief that we shared, could be felt like an electricity in the air. So many hugs and stories, laughter and tears were shared that day. It was magical and bittersweet all at the same time.
It was hard to watch Chad’s van Ellie be auctioned off, even though it was a great thing to do. But it made it all seem so final. People poured so much love and money into the donations, raffle, auctions and sales that went to raising funds, and all together it has raised over $30k and counting and that warms my heart at the generosity and love that this red dirt family of ours has. Knowing we all helped Chad to leave behind something tangible for his children, and knowing how much that would mean to him, makes me love this whole music scene even more, as if that could even be possible.
Bekah Hardick showed up with her Inappropriate Trucker Hats and knocked it out selling hats left and right, creating anything anyone wanted put on a hat. She busted her ass to get all the orders filled right then and there, and the result was not only a good chunk added to the fundraiser total, but also many a laugh at all of the ridiculous things that were spotted on the hats that night. I know Chad laughed his ass off at the things people decided they needed to memorialize him, such as ‘Balder than Chad Sullins’, ‘Chad Sullins owes me money’, and ‘Never been drunker than Chad Sullins’, just to name a few. This was the perfect way to bring Chad’s spirit to the event, Bekah’s hats are the highlight of all big musical events, and honoring Chad in this way was perfect.
The thing I always come away with from our music scene, is that it really is just one big family. We know how to come together and support our own, we know how to throw a party, we know how to spread love and dirt far and wide, and we know how to honor our fallen troubadours. We do it up right, and we do it together. I’m not sure you will ever find a musical family with bonds as strong as Oklahoma has. That’s what makes it so damn impressive. I’m beyond proud to be a part of it, and I would never have it without Chad. That’s what makes him so damn special to me, that’s why I will be forever grateful to him.
Of course, the party didn’t end when the show ended. Dozens of people found their way to the Farm afterwards. The red dirt mecca, where it all started decades ago, a place Chad held near and dear to his heart. Drinks flowed, music played and friends shared a magical night of fellowship and love, all in Chad’s honor. It lasted until the sun came up, in true Chad fashion.
The next day a memorial tree was planted, with some of Chad’s ashes, to give him a permanent place on this musical holy ground. Now he will always be a part of the magical musical nights at the farm, which is what he wanted.
Grief is weird, it will sneak up on you with something as simple as a scent, a song, a moment. Chad really did come into my world like a tornado and completely change the landscape of my entire life. There’s a part of me I think that is still in denial, that doesn’t quite believe I won’t see Chad again. There’s a part of my brain that tries to convince myself that he’s just out there on the road doing his thing, and sooner or later I’ll make it to a show again and hug his neck and listen to him tell me I’m more famous than him these days (which of course was never true, but always made me laugh). I suppose in a way this is true, I imagine there’s a whole Red Dirt reunion show I’ll be attending one day, when I get there. Save me a seat dear friends, I’ll be there one day. I love you.
I borrowed photos from lots of different people for this article, so thanks everyone who unwittingly donated them. I learned from the best, better to ask for forgiveness than for permission. One of Chad’s favorite ways of life.
