LAST NIGHT’S ROCK OUT

Welcome to the (almost) weekend, Bisnow readers! But actually, we know many of you started early last night at the House of Blues. The massive screaming crowd of more than 1,000 real estate fans raised $275,000 for cancer research for California hospital City of Hope. Plus, each of the eleven sponsors got to look totally cool by having their company banners in front of private boxes at one of Chicago?s classiest venues.

But wait, there's more. That's you guys on stage, too! Proving they're more talented than us by picking up guitars that aren't attached to an Xbox, Mike Smolarek  and Nick Achille  of Walsh Construction,  Hunter  Williams of Anderson Window Corp., and Sean Walsh (also   of, duh, Walsh Construction), rocked the house with their band, Missing Ted. ?This is really all about them, getting to see each other?s talents outside of real estate,? said event organizer Sarah Maraccini. This is the event?s 13th year.

Leopardo Construction  is a family-built company, and family and friend were among the guests of honor in the box of one of the event?s sponsors. Leopardo?s Annie Shubert and  Dan Ulbricht, Studley?s Andrew Kelly, Leopardo?s Jimmy Morgan  and  Rick Mattioda, Kohl Soltis Associates? Ken Soltis,  and Maria  Mattioda enjoyed Missing Ted before Liquidated Damages (with members from Grand Kahn Electric, Tishman Speyer  and the John Buck Company) went on stage. Other events sponsors: Golub, Magellan Development, Jones Lang LaSalle, Rex Electric, Ryan Companies, KeyBank, Walsh Construction and Flooring Resource.

Y?all started getting rowdy by the night?s third act, Dr. Bombay, who's been playing the event for the last decade. Vocalists Cari Alexander  and Russ Steinberg  of Trinity Life Settlement  geared up to sing in front of  Lee Golub  of Golub on drums and Darren Carr  of Drinker, Biddle and Reath  on bass, and (gasp!) some non-real estate friends. Golub said he loved that one of the company's boxes provided an above-backstage view, so his friends could hear what he heard when he was playing. Unless they lost their hearing from the decibel level.