PLYMOUTH — Alex Ray of The Common Man family of restaurants and Justin Spencer of Recycled Percussion and Chaos & Kindness are teaming up to thank first responders who fought a fire that threatened the Flying Monkey and burned adjacent buildings the night of April 18 with a charity concert.

The band Recycled Percussion will perform a concert dubbed “Show for Heroes” at the Flying Monkey at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night. Firefighters, police, EMTs and other emergency responders who assisted the night of the fire are being offered complimentary tickets to attend.

One hundred percent of the concert’s revenue will be donated to the Plymouth Firemen’s Association, a benevolent organization that raises money to contribute to local charities and support the needs of the Plymouth Fire Department, like tools and equipment.

Fire Chief Tom Morrison was in attendance at a Foreigner’s Journey concert at the Flying Monkey the night of the fire and was one of 450 guests who were quickly evacuated.

“We were up in the balcony and suddenly the music stopped,” Morrison said Wednesday. “The band got on the microphone and asked everybody to exit slowly and calmly. We couldn’t hear the alarm, of course, with all of the loud music.”

As Morrison exited the upper balcony and entered a stairwell leading down and out from the building, he immediately knew something was ablaze.

“You could smell the smoke,” he said. “It had already come into the Flying Monkey at that point — they did a great job getting everybody out calmly. They had them going out at different exits.”

An empty building next door, which was formerly home to the Peppercorn Farm Market and Cafe as well as Downtown Pizza, was on fire and the situation quickly escalated to include a response from 16 separate departments.

The cause of the fire remains unknown and is under investigation by the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s office. On Wednesday, investigators were busy interviewing witnesses and checking surveillance video from the area of the fire, Morrison said.

“I did assume command, and at that point we already had one of our engines coming down the hill,” he said. “Hopefully the public will come to the concert. We’ll have a good crew there from Plymouth.”

A department captain on the first truck to respond to the fire called for help, which drew four companies from other towns. Deputy Chief Kevin Pierce upgraded the call to request more backup soon thereafter.

The theater was evacuated in about three minutes.

“There was a lot of fire there and the crews did a great job holding it to those two buildings there,” Morrison said. “We could’ve lost the whole block.”

At around 3 a.m. the next morning, Morrison received a call from Ray, who owns the Flying Monkey and was in Ukraine at the time.

“I was far, far away. I was in Ukraine; we go over there to work,” Ray said.

Ray made his 10th trip to Ukraine as part of his charitable enterprise, Common Man for Ukraine, to support the needs of children impacted by the war. Common Man for Ukraine works with Rotary clubs and partners in the U.S., Poland and Ukraine to deliver food and other necessities to those in need. They also manage a camp in Poland where Ukrainian children are afforded medical and mental health treatment.

“We didn’t come home until a few days later,” he said. “We got calls from friends that night; it’s a six-hour difference of time.”

Ray said the risk to his patrons who had packed the Flying Monkey was the most frightening aspect of the ordeal.

“It was scary because it took out two buildings, but nobody got hurt,” he said. “We had a full house. We had 450 people in the theater, and they did a good job of just walking out.”

The quick and professional response by emergency personnel from all over the Lakes Region was particularly impressive and appreciated, which influenced the thought to host a concert to thank them, he said.

“We wanted to get out a letter to the world about how good fire and EMTs are,” he said.

In the fire’s wake, Spencer reached out to Ray and the pair discussed hosting a concert at the Flying Monkey where Recycled Percussion would perform.

“He came to our people and he called me and he’s good at helping people, so it works out,” Ray said. “Everybody wins. … We’re just thanking people for what they do.”

Spencer said his group has been performing at the Flying Monkey for years, and it has a special place in his heart.

“When all of the chaos took place down in Plymouth, Flying Monkey has always been an important place for us,” Spencer said. “We’ve played there over 50 times.”

Offering free tickets to the first responders who helped save the Flying Monkey and contributing to charity were two ways Spencer could give back to them, he said.

“One hundred percent of all of the money, every penny, will go back to various charities associated with first responders,” he said. “It was my idea to invite all the families of the first responders — they save lives, they save people’s homes. They’re really unsung heroes.”

Recycled Percussion was performing in San Diego the night of the fire at the Flying Monkey.

“I was called right away. At the time, we thought the Flying Monkey was on fire,” Spencer said. “I was shocked. Buildings can be rebuilt, but people’s lives cannot — for us, it’s just a simple thank you. These are people that, when called upon, put their lives on the line.”

First responders should call the box office to get tickets to the concert, which is also open to the general public to purchase tickets.

Recycled Percussion performed for over 10 years in Las Vegas, where they ran thousands of shows, Spencer said, adding they include a mix of music, comedy and stage production.

“Our show is truly a variety show,” Spencer said. “People are gonna love it.”

Those who would like to attend the event can purchase tickets online at flyingmonkeynh.com or by calling the Flying Monkey box office at 603-536-2551.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.