By Tracy Dietlin and Phil Lacombe
On Monday, March 2, the iconic Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs will host a night where legendary music, philanthropy, and education collide. Adopt the Arts Presents: Sound & Vision is more than a concert — it’s a celebration of rock history with a mission that looks firmly toward the future.
This year’s Sound & Vision Awards will honor two true icons: Paul Rodgers — the unmistakable voice behind Free and Bad Company — and Geezer Butler, founding bassist and lyrical architect of Black Sabbath. Together, their influence has helped shape decades of rock music, inspiring generations of musicians across genres.
Musical direction for the evening comes from Matt Sorum, drummer for Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, and The Cult, and the founder of Adopt the Arts. Sorum will lead an all-star house band joined by a lineup of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees and celebrated artists, delivering live performances that pay tribute to the honorees’ legendary catalogs.
While the performances promise to be unforgettable, the heart of Sound & Vision lies in its purpose. Proceeds from the event benefit Adopt the Arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and expanding music education in public elementary schools — including programs serving students in the Coachella Valley. At a time when arts education continues to face funding challenges, the event underscores the importance of keeping music alive in classrooms.
Every ticket sold directly supports music education programs that give young students access to instruments, instruction, and creative expression.
Set against the restored grandeur of the Plaza Theatre, Sound & Vision promises a rare blend of intimacy and spectacle — a night where rock legends are honored not just for what they’ve achieved, but for how their legacy continues to give back.
For music fans, philanthropists, and anyone who believes in the power of the arts, Sound & Vision stands as one of the most meaningful live music events to hit Palm Springs this year.
Sound & Vision Awards at Plaza Theatre, Palm Springs Monday, March 2 at 7:00 PM
Tickets available at adoptthearts.org.
We had a chat with Matt Sorum to talk about putting this event together.
Coachella Valley Weekly: You’re bringing a stacked lineup to Palm Springs for the Sound & Vision Awards — honoring rock legends Paul Rodgers and Geezer Butler. What’s it like curating a night that celebrates not just music, but legacy and community impact?
Sorum: “Well, for me it’s bucket list. I grew up with Bad Company and Black Sabbath. That music had a huge impact on me as a kid growing up in the greatest era of music — the ’70s. I pay huge respect to these guys and their legacy and want to always teach our kids about these great artists.”
CVW: Adopt the Arts has been your passion project for years now — helping keep music education alive for thousands of kids. What moment or student story has hit you hardest and reminded you why you do this?
Sorum: “There are so many stories. Our kids come from diverse backgrounds, economically and socially, but what we bring with ATA inspires them. I’ve seen so many kids come to life when they discover themselves through music and working in a group setting with other kids. Life-changing moments happen with mentors who believe in them, like I do.”
CVW: You’ve got everyone from Lzzy Hale to Nuno Bettencourt in the lineup — all powerhouse musicians with their own unique styles. How do you approach blending that energy into one cohesive, all-star performance?
Sorum: “I’m a band leader in this setting, and after my last band, Velvet Revolver, disbanded in 2009, I never looked back and have forged my own way. I’ve been running my own band, Kings of Chaos, for over 12 years with some of the greatest singers and musicians alive. Somehow, they trust me with all the moving parts, including a set list that I envision for each of them.”
CVW: The show’s happening right here in the desert — in the Coachella Valley. What makes this the perfect place for an event like this, and how has the local creative community inspired your work?
Sorum: “The desert inspired me to live here, and I married my wife and had my daughter here. With that, the community has opened their arms to ATA — as we now have six schools in the Coachella Valley. It’s our first local fundraiser to get more community financial support.”
CVW: The “Changels” choir is such a beautiful part of your work — the name itself combining change and angels. How did that idea come about, and what does it represent to you personally?
Sorum: “I had an early musical collaborator who left Hollywood behind and went off to help kids in Afghanistan. He called my first choir at my pilot school Changels – “angels of change” – and it stuck.”
CVW: When you see The Changels perform — these young voices uniting through music — what goes through your mind? What emotions hit you the hardest in those moments?
Sorum: “Moments like that, they will remember for a lifetime.
They have been given the opportunity to be heard and seen. It builds confidence and self-esteem. Those little voices will go on to be big voices. That’s a fact.”
CVW: What’s one performance or rehearsal with The Changels that completely blew you away or reminded you why you started this program?
Sorum: “The kids just get better and better. They take pride in their group, and the kids are pillars of the community. It’s powerful and brings a lot of hope to our kids and their families.”
CVW: The Changels are proof that music can heal and inspire. What do you hope these kids carry with them long after they leave the program?
Sorum: “Like I said before, we start them young — the formative years of discovering who they are. Music shaped me young, and I’ve gone on to do many other things because of it. They will as well. We’re not helping shape the next rock star unless that’s what they want. They will form that passion through art and music to create a world all their own.”
CVW: If you could get one major rock legend to collaborate or perform with The Changels, who would it be — and what song would you want them to sing together?
Sorum: “Well, we’ve already had Ringo and Paul Rodgers, and we plan to continue that series. I have a large Rolodex, and it’s a simple ask that most of them understand. These kids are the future.”
CVW: Is there anything else you would like to talk about that we didn’t cover?
Sorum: “Keep rockin’!!!”
We also spoke with Paul Rodgers about the event.
CVW: You were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and now you will be honored again at the Sound and Vision awards. How does it feel to still be receiving these accolades after such a long career?
Rodgers: “Music has given me many gifts. Just the fact that I was blessed to do what I love and making a living doing so. When I started out some 63 years ago, I was 14, I never imagined that music would have taken me all around the world many, many times or given me awards such as being inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, or receiving the Sound and Vision award from the Adopt the Arts program.
It amazes and surprises me that the music I wrote and continue to write still resonates with people and every once in a while, I get the tip of the hat from my peers and contemporaries and receive awards.”
CVW: I know there will be an All-Star band that night, will you be performing?
Rodgers: “You can’t help but be impressed by the list of musicians that have stepped forward and stepped up to play and help raise funds for the program, which helps kids experience music. Unfortunately, and sadly, music programs are no longer offered in schools. I must admit that had music not entered my life when it did chances are I would have been running the streets and getting into nothing but trouble. So big thanks to the musicians, like Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple, Lzzy Hale from Halestorm, Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke, Corey Taylor from Slipknot, Nino Bettencourt from Extreme, Robert DeLeo from Stone Temple Pilots, Steve Stevens from Billy Idol, Mike Mangan from The Cult and everyone else, the list is long! It will be a night to remember. I have started rehearsing to perform on the night.”
CVW: How does it feel to be semi-retired, retired from performing?
Rodgers: “It’s safe to say that I have semi-retired from performing and that I have happily entered the acoustic, Zen phase of my life. However, on this special occasion I am gearing up to hit the stage and perform with these gifted, selfless musicians and celebrate the children that make up The Changels.”
CVW: Is there anyone that even you get star struck by when you meet them or perform with them?
Rodgers: “Absolutely. When I met one of my heroes, Sam Moore from the duo, Sam and Dave. I first heard his voice when I was about 14. When I met him, all of a sudden I became that 14 year-old school boy standing before the great Sam Moore. He could not have been more kind or gracious, knowing that I was so nervous to meet him. We ended up becoming very good friends and performed and recorded together. Dreams really do come true, again another gift from music.”
CVW: What is your connection with the Changels?
Rodgers: “My friend Matt Sorum, former drummer with Guns N’ Roses and cofounder of the Adopt the Arts program with actress Jane Lynch, mentioned the charity to my wife, Cynthia. She recommended that we get involved and felt that it would help the children and bring me a lot of joy. Once again they were so right. It filled me with so much joy meeting the children and singing with them, answering their questions, mentoring them. I recorded ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy’ with The Changels last year. You can hear it and see our video on YouTube. I think the kids did an amazing job. See what you think?
There is a sweetness and innocence that is so precious and heart melting when you are around children and then add hearing them sing. Matt Sorum is an inspiring leading for this cause for the kids. His devotion is something to behold.
Matt and coordinator Laurie Baker, have a great team of teachers who volunteer, together they get it all done.
We will continue to support their mission here in California and help children learn, grow and explore through the arts.”
We hope to see everyone on Monday, March 2 at 7:00 at The Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs to support Adopt the Arts at The Sound and Vision Awards. Tickets available at www.adoptthearts.org.
