Some of the biggest stars in country music teamed up on a Saturday night to see how much money they could raise for hurricane relief.
Headlined by Luke Combs and Eric Church, the Concert for Carolina generated $24 million to help North and South Carolina communities recover from the double whammy of hurricanes Helene and Milton, with names like Sheryl Crowe, James Taylor, and Keith Urban making guest appearances.
More than 80,000 people packed the Bank of America Arena in Charlotte—the use of which was offered pro bono by Carolina Panther’s owner David Tepper, whose foundation donated $3 million to relief efforts immediately following the effects of Milton—smashing as it did towns hundreds of miles from the coast.
“This will undoubtedly go down as the night I am most proud of in my career,” Combs wrote on Instagram. “Being able to give back to the place that gave me so much.”
Other guest performers included Billy Strings, Bailey Zimmerman, The Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice, and Parmalee.
Born in Huntersville, NC, Combs told 104.3 KCY Country that he vividly remembered watching the devastation at his home in Nashville, unable to hear from friends and family who had lost cell reception.
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Wondering “how I can be of service,” Combs called his fellow country star, friend, and North Carolina native Eric Church to pitch the idea of a benefit. The answer was never in doubt.
“North Carolina is both of our homes. The small communities that specifically make up western North Carolina are these strong, independent, proud communities,” Church said during a press conference in advance of the Saturday show.
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“[T]hey’re the exact community that when the community next door is in trouble, out can count on that community to come help you. And in this situation, there is no community next door. It’s all been destroyed. So, what you’re seeing tonight, is we are the community next door. The people that are in this stadium are the community next door.”
Combs, who was also at the press conference, added that “a show like this usually takes a year, or a year and a half, to plan, and we were able to get it done in three weeks.”
WATCH James Taylor singing about Carolina from the show…
James Taylor. Absolute 🐐 #ConcertForCarolina pic.twitter.com/22FqFJziYD
— the D (@DieselOnRadio) October 27, 2024
SHARE This Fantastic Benefit Gig With Your Friends Who Like Country…
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the location of the venue as Charlottesville. The mistake has been corrected.