Music stars to perform in Charlotte to benefit western North Carolina
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Luke Combs performing. Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Music stars Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor and Billy Strings will perform a benefit concert at Bank of America Stadium to raise money for communities in western North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Why it matters: Helene left unimaginable tragedy in its wake. In response, people from all walks of life are coming together to help bolster recovery efforts.
Driving the news: The Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice and Parmalee, all of whom are North Carolina natives, were added to the Concert for Carolina lineup on Oct. 15.
Catch up quick: The concert was first announced on Oct.7 and two day later Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban and Bailey Zimmermann were added to the lineup.
The big picture: There's a rallying cry echoing throughout the country music community to support Appalachia, from artists like Church and Combs to Dolly Parton and Morgan Wallen.
What to expect: The concert is on Oct. 26 and will be streamed on Veeps at 5pm. More tickets for the in-person show were added Friday night and start at $200.
- The livestream will be free for those in impacted areas (Veeps will use geotargeting) and $24.99 for those who aren't in affected areas.
- Proceeds from the concert, including sponsorships and the livestream, will be split between organizations selected by Combs as well as Church's Chief Cares Foundation.
- Combs' half will go to Samaritan's Purse, Manna Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC and Eblen Charities.
What they're saying: "When Luke first approached us with the idea for a concert benefitting relief efforts in the region, we felt compelled to open the doors of Bank of America Stadium for this special moment," Tepper Sports & Entertainment owners David Tepper and Nicole Tepper said in a statement.
Between the lines: To drum up tourism in Uptown, the city has an agreement with Bank of America Stadium to use the facility rent-free on certain days throughout the year. This benefit will not count as one of those rent-free days, a TSE spokesperson told Axios.
Flashback: On Sept. 28, soon after Helene made landfall, Combs expressed his heartbreak over what was happening in western North Carolina.
- He added: "Me and my team have been making some calls and I think we've got something really special lined up to help the Carolinas as much as we can. More details to come ASAP."
Context: The lineup of musicians has close ties to North Carolina. Combs and Church are North Carolina natives, and both attended Appalachian State University.
- Combs lived in Huntersville until he was eight years old, when his family moved to Asheville, Lake Norman Publications reported.
- Church is a native of Granite Falls, a small town just north of Hickory. He spends several months each year in the mountains of North Carolina, which he describes as a "refuge."
- Last Friday, Church released a new single called "Darkest Hour" and signed away the publishing rights to the state and its people to help fund relief efforts for years to come.
- Taylor grew up in Chapel Hill and Strings has spent extensive time in North Carolina.
Go deeper: How to support western N.C. communities devastated by Helene
Editor's note: This story was originally published on Oct. 7 and was updated on Oct. 15 to include artist additions.