Donate a coat, see Public Enemy up close

Donate a jacket to charity and you could be this close to Chuck D and Flava Flav when Public Enemy plays at Lisner Auditorium on Nov. 18. (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

One of the highlights of August's Virgin Mobile FreeFest was the set turned in by rap pioneers Public Enemy. Said me, at the time: "[the band], led by outspoken frontman Chuck D, turned fiery polemics such as 'Fight the Power' and 'Welcome to the Terrordome' into hand-waving hits. The presence of Flavor Flav lent the set an air of lightness; for all his shenanigans on VH1, he remains the definitive hip-hop hype man."

Public Enemy returns to the area on Wednesday, Nov. 18 for a show at Lisner Auditiorium. It's a benefit show for Sasha Bruce House, a non-profit shelter for homeless youth in Washington, D.C. As an added incentive for concertgoers, if you donate a new or gently used coat, you get an upgrade to VIP seats in the first few rows. Buy advance tickets from the 9:30 club box office, bring a coat to donate at that time, and the seat upgrade is automatic; bring a coat to the venue and the VIP tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. All donated coats will be given to homeless teens in D.C.

-- David Malitz