With a little help from his friends, Jason Sudeikis raises $600K for Kansas City charity

Jon Niccum

Thundergong! made plenty of sweet noise on Saturday night.

The music and comedy charity show that is the brainchild of KC actor Jason Sudeikis and drummer Billy Brimblecom raised nearly $600,000 for Steps of Faith, which provides prosthetic care to amputees needing financial support.

Many moments stood out at the sixth annual event, including the spirited crowd, the sheer volume of jokes that landed and the phenomenal house band (which featured amputee Brimblecom’s own explosive drumming). But here are five highlights from this memorable evening:

“Saturday Night Live” alums Will Forte, left, and Jason Sudeikis sang a duet during the Thundergong! fundraiser on Saturday at the Uptown Theater.
“Saturday Night Live” alums Will Forte, left, and Jason Sudeikis sang a duet during the Thundergong! fundraiser on Saturday at the Uptown Theater.

▪ Sudeikis and fellow “Saturday Night Live” pal Will Forte brought back one of their frequent Weekend Update bits in which they play the “Bon Jovi opposite band” Jon Bovi. The pair raised money for the cause by auctioning off their contrarian treatment of an audience suggestion — this time “No Scrubs” by TLC. It wasn’t so much the execution of the song that proved so amusing as the relentless amount of abuse directed at Bon Jovi’s own questionable catalog.

Country star Wynonna crossed over to rock Saturday night, performing Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
Country star Wynonna crossed over to rock Saturday night, performing Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

▪ Country legend and Thundergong! veteran Wynonna Judd once again showed her penchant for rock. She unleashed a version of Foreigner’s power ballad “I Want to Know What Love Is” that she introduced as being “somewhere between hell and hallelujah.” It offered a powerful reminder of why she’s amassed 19 No. 1 singles in her career.

Brendan Hunt, aka Coach Beard on “Ted Lasso,” appeared on stage multiple times during Saturday’s Thundergong! event.
Brendan Hunt, aka Coach Beard on “Ted Lasso,” appeared on stage multiple times during Saturday’s Thundergong! event.

▪ Brendan Hunt, the Emmy-winning co-creator of “Ted Lasso,” lent his voice throughout the evening. But the high point was performing as his beloved TV character Coach Beard, in which he belted out Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” while Hula Hooping in increasingly ridiculous fashion. (Note: You kind of had to be there for this one.)

Justin Hawkins of the band The Darkness performed his song “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” channeling Freddie Mercury of Queen.
Justin Hawkins of the band The Darkness performed his song “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” channeling Freddie Mercury of Queen.

▪ Brothers Justin and Dan Hawkins from the English rock act The Darkness” played a handful of tunes, notably a cover of Queen and David Bowie’s iconic “Under Pressure” that found Sudeikis assuming the Bowie role. But singer Justin Hawkins truly maintained the spirit of Freddie Mercury, with both his revealing silver jumpsuit and arena-sized charisma, during a walloping rendition of his group’s signature single “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.”

At the end of the evening, all the performers gathered on stage to sing “With a Little Help From My Friends.”
At the end of the evening, all the performers gathered on stage to sing “With a Little Help From My Friends.”

▪ For the finale, the entire entourage took the stage — which included comedian Fred Armisen, actor Sam Richardson and members of the band Hembree — to sing the Joe Cocker/Beatles hit “With a Little Help From My Friends.” A perfect, poignant ending to a show that remains all about support.

Coming soon: The Star’s exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of this year’s Thundergong!

Advertisement