LAKE COMO — Hundreds of live music fans rocked out at Lake Como’s Bar Anticipation Sunday night for the Play It Forward for Jillian Summer Jam benefit concert.
Jersey Shore native bands Indigo Sky and Dogs in a Pile took the Bar A summer stage on Sunday for the concert, 100% of the net proceeds of which went to the Rae of Light Foundation. Earlier in the day — prior to the concert — the third annual Dogs in a Pile + Long Strange Putt Golf Outing, featuring Dogs in a Pile, took place at Spring Meadow Golf Course in Wall Township. Proceeds from the golf outing also went to Rae of Light.
The Rae of Light Foundation was established by Wall Township residents Matt and Jessica Ludwig in the wake of their daughter Jillian’s death. Jillian Ludwig, a Wall Township native and music student at Belmont University in Nashville, died in November 2023 after being hit by a stray bullet while out for a walk in a Tennessee park.
Jessica explained that members of both of the night’s acts, Indigo Sky and Dogs in a Pile, had met her daughter, a fellow musician, and jumped at the chance to play a benefit show in her honor.
“Indigo Sky is our opening band,” she said. “These guys were friendly with Jill; they played some gigs together at the same venues.”
“Jill was a huge Dogs in a Pile fan,” she said. “She followed them from the early days in Asbury Park; she even saw them in Nashville when she was in school down there in the fall…We reached out to them after her tragedy and asked if they would want to do a show for her, and they bounced right on the opportunity — they’re just the greatest guys.”
“We were invited by Jillian’s parents to come and play; we’re very honored,” said Brian Murray, guitarist for Dogs in a Pile. “I know she was a big fan of ours and she was a great musician as well.”
Shaun Knapp, of Toms River, and Billy Fairgrieve, of Beachwood, two self-proclaimed Dogs in a Pile “superfans,” told The Ocean Star that they were all the more happy to come see the band play when they heard it was for a good cause.
“We’re big fans of Dogs in a Pile,” said Knapp. “We love what the jam band scene is doing for this whole thing. Everyone is coming out, having a great afternoon in Lake Como, New Jersey for a great cause.”
Fairgrieve said, “I think it’s a great way to get everyone out to support (Rae of Light); awesome vibes, the music is awesome; everything here is awesome.”
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