Paly’s Make-A-Wish Club members are ecstatic after fundraising more than $1,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation through a successful benefit concert and dance on Friday from 7:15-11 p.m. at Club Illusions.

The Make-A-Wish foundation is currently the largest wish-granting association for children with life-threatening diseases in the nation.

Despite a delayed start and problems with the microphones, the entire event ran smoothly, according to sophomore Club President Talia Moyal.

“We had a few little problems, but we were mostly very happy about the turnout,” Moyal said. “We were glad that we raised over $1,000.”

Moyal and fellow Make-A-Wish Club founder and President Tony Panayides recruited active Paly student bands to perform at the event. Many band members appreciated that the concert and dance supported a respectable cause.

“The Make-A-Wish foundation helped send my friends to the World Cup in Germany, so I think it is a great cause,” said junior Shawn Barry, vocalist and bassist of Furious George.

Freshman Anna Avny expressed her admiration for the cause.

“I came here to support the Make-A-Wish initiative because I think it’s a great cause,” she said.

Middlefield, Tricky Zipper, Furious George, and Corner Street Light performed original compositions and covers of well-known songs. In between band performances, Paly junior soloist Annie Lada performed her own songs. The disk jockey’s enthusiastic introductions and overhead projections of each band’s signature photographs provided smooth transitions.

Middlefield commenced with some originals and slipped into rock adaptations of popular songs, like Kanye West’s “Stronger” and Katy Perry’s “Hot N’ Cold.” Some students seated themselves on the small café tables that lined the dance floor, while others made their way near the stage.

“The audience was awesome,” lead singer and guitarist senior Sai Boddupalli said. “We love playing for teen audiences.”

Assisted with flashing lights, Tricky Zipper performed in front of a growing audience. The band gave an animated performance with heavy instrumentals and later on performed with Paly alumnus Tim Hedge. The audience enthusiastically sang along to the chorus of the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You.”

Furious George performed its own original song “Butterflies.” The band also invited a special guest violinist to perform a softer, calmer piece.

Corner Street Light gave a thrilling performance in front of an excited audience. However, after performing three songs, the band was unexpectedly cut off to allot enough time for the dance.

Some bands came across technical difficulties with sound equipment, as they were not allowed to use Club Illusions’ own sound equipment. They had to utilize their own sound equipment, according to Boddupalli.

“The microphone was breaking in the middle of the first song,” said Paly sophomore Jack Scarpino, the vocalist and guitarist of Tricky Zipper.

Some audience members also had a difficult time hearing the musicians.

“I couldn’t really hear the musicians,” Avny said. “I’m a singer myself, so I found that a little frustrating.”

For almost two months, Moyal and Panayides planned the bulk of the event. Paly sophomore Trina Ohms and Gunn sophomore Sarah Fleischmann, also members of the club, helped Moyal plan and advertise the event by creating posters and selling tickets at their respective high schools.

“I was so impressed how Talia [Moyal] was so on top of things,” Ohms said. “She thought of this fundraiser a couple months ago.”

Moyal feels more confident about running future fundraiser events after Friday’s benefit concert and dance.

“We learned a lot from last night,” Moyal said. “In general, we are very responsible people, and I think we did a good job at getting good deals for the concert.”

For the next fundraiser event in the spring, Moyal is thinking of planning a fashion show.

“Menlo-Atherton raised a lot of money from their fashion show last year,” she said, “so in the spring, we [the Make-A-Wish Club] might do a fashion show.”

Editor’s note: The original article incorrectly stated that Sarah Fleischmann is a freshman and that “Butterflies” is a song by Coldplay. Corrections have been made accordingly.