After on-stage death, Newark rockers return to honor bandmate this weekend

Four months after veteran Delaware bassist Al Gedney collapsed and died on stage, his bandmates will return to the scene to honor the 49-year-old father of two.

Family, friends and musicians will gather at Argilla Brewing Co. at Pietro’s Pizza (2667 Kirkwood Highway) Sunday from 3-9 p.m. to celebrate Gedney’s life.

Five bands will rock the pizza restaurant/brewery — The Chill Factor, SWWIK, Altamont Surf Party, Deadlyne and Freelance — with all proceeds from pizza sales and a silent auction going to the Dylan and Alaina Gedney Educational Fund, benefiting his children.

The Jones Alley bassist died in June after collapsing during a performance of Nirvana’s “Breed” at Argilla. It was around 9:45 p.m. on a Friday when Gedney fell backward into a stack of amplifiers.

Longtime bandmates Mike Martin, a childhood guitarist friend, and drummer Matt Frick, who first began playing with Gedney at the age of 18, were on stage with him when it happened.

"The last memory I have of him alive is me thrashing away on the cymbal looking at him and him looking at me going, 'Yeah, man!' Right after that is a thud," Frick told The News Journal in June.

Added Martin: "God, it was just like a lightning strike next to me."

A cousin of Gedney's shot video of the band kicking off the song after Gedney thanked the crowd for coming to see them. He can be seen voraciously playing his bass just as the 43-second clip ends.

A minute later, Gedney was falling backward with the amps crashing against the restaurant's front window. Frick and a friend bent down to attend to Gedney, joined by a nurse who was there eating dinner. Emergency medical services arrived soon after and took over.

"When I got to him, he was blank. There was just nothing in his eyes, so we just sat there trying to comfort him," Frick says. "It happened real quick."   

Gedney was survived by his wife, Maria, and children, Dylan and Alaina, who were 17 and 16 at the time.

Before Jones Alley, Gedney performed for acts including Newark rockers Deadlyne. He worked for Bank of America for more than two decades.

There is no cover for the benefit concert and all ages are welcome.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).