BOSTON For its annual—and largest—fund-raiser of the year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay reeled in legendary ’80s group the J. Geils Band, who reunited for a rare performance.

Held on January 23 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the event, dubbed Big Night 11, garnered 1,100 guests, an increase from previous years, and raised $2.3 million, just shy of its highest-ever gross of $2.6 million in 2007.

Beth Mac Neill, vice president for development for the nonprofit, produced the event, which raises a significant portion of the Big Brothers Big Sisters annual budget. “It’s over the top in a positive way,” she said. “This year, however, we needed to figure out a way to have everything, yet cut costs. The challenge was how to make a big splash in a way that donors still feel comfortable giving to you.”

Mac Neill and her team began planning earlier than in the past. “We had deeper conversations with people who have been making tough decisions about how many events they can attend in a year. We stress that Big Night is fun, yet serves a population who needs us even more in these challenging times,” she said.

For the decor, Corinthian Events partner Mary Coch said, “We wanted to evoke the grungy rock vibe of the '80s.” In a nod to dive bars of the '80s (where the J. Geils Band often played), tables were decorated with elements of dartboards, Ping-Pong tables, and graffiti.

Other entertainment included billiards, Guitar Hero in the foyer, and photo ops on the “Celebrity Walk of Fame” step-and-repeat red-carpet setup. Following the J. Geils Band, local band French Lick finished off the night.