“I’m just going to request that all future red carpets we do in the car because that was awesome,” said Lance Bass, taking the stage at the 2021 Race to Erase MS gala on Friday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
The fundraiser, typically held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, was a drive-through concept for the second year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s the Rose Bowl part two,” said Nancy Davis, who founded the charity in 1993. Race to Erase MS, which is dedicated to the treatment and cure of multiple sclerosis, has raised more than $50 million to date. This year, they collected over $1.4 million.
The event kicked off with an Alice + Olivia fashion show, as guests ate dinner inside their cars — or adjacent to them, while socially distanced on beach chairs.
“That Lamborghini is, like, 200 thousand grand,” a security guard told another, cycling by the rows of luxury rides on the lawn.
The gala brought out Tyra Banks, Victoria Justice, AnnaLynne McCord, Jodie Sweetin, Stacey Bendet of Alice + Olivia, and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast members Kathy Hilton, Dorit Kemsley, Kyle Richards, and Sutton Stracke, who introduced a live auction.
“Bid!” exclaimed Stracke.
“And bid big, because it’s the craziest year of our lives,” added Hilton.
Items included a Hublot watch designed in collaboration with artist Shepard Fairey, which sold for $20,000, and a 2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLS 63 SUV, which went for $116,000.
The night ended with a performance by legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire, which brought the crowd to their feet.
The band played hits like “September” and “Let’s Groove,” before finishing off with a Race to Erase MS tradition: a group performance of “Lean on Me,” with singers and musicians Siedah Garrett, David Osmond, and Greg Phillinganes.
