A weekend benefit concert for Greg Johnson became a memorial when the Fiends vocalist passed away on Friday (December 4).

Johnson was already battling an infected heart valve when he succumbed to injuries from repeated aneurysms.

On Saturday night, friends packed the WISE Hall to pay tribute, with the Spitfires topping a nine-band bill that also included an expanded version of the Fiends “playing their last show, ever,” as MC Frank Rumbletone announced.

Gerry-Jenn Wilson, Kara Douglas of Free Cigarettes For Drunk Minors, and Pete Gripp all stepped up to cover Johnson’s vocal duties, and Zippy Pinhead sat in on drums for a few numbers. By the end of the night, organizer Dave Bowes had collected nearly $3,000 towards the establishment of a trust fund for Johnson’s 12 year-old son, Kaelan.

Johnson’s bandmate for nine years up until 2007, Pete Gripp, described the 41-year-old garage-rocker as “one of those people that made a large first impression.”

“He had a sharp mind, and a sharp wit, and was in-your-face from the get-go,” Gripp told the Straight. “A lot of people didn’t quite get his peculiar sense of humour. They’d love him or hate him. But he spoke the truth, and from the heart. And he had a heart of gold.”