Luke Combs and Eric Church‘s Concert For Carolina benefit raised roughly $24.5 million for victims of Hurricane Helene.
The star-studded concert event featured performances from Combs and Church as well as Scotty McCreery, James Taylor, Keith Urban, Bailey Zimmerman, Sheryl Crow, and more.
According to Charlotte Stories, more than 82,000 people gathered for the 5 hour-long event held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Profits from ticket sales will be split between Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest, and Eblen Charities.
Catawba County News reported that Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper donated use of the stadium, including wages paid to concert workers, and pledged that all profits from food and drinks sold at the show would go to the cause.
The concert was also live-streamed for free to the affected areas, and numerous communities came together to watch and witness the incredible fundraising event.
One user on X shared:
Attendees shared that Randy Travis and his wife, Mary, made a surprise appearance to support the cause. Nicole Kidman also surprised the crowd with a brief appearance on stage with her husband, Keith Urban.
Eric Church, who was born in Granite Falls, North Carolina, announced his plan to build 100 new homes for hurricane victims in Avery County. “Blueprint for the Blue Ridge” will be funded by Church’s Chief Cares Fund.
Artists who participated in the event expressed their gratitude for being included in the historic concert.
Chase Rice, a North Carolina native, shared that one day before the concert, he visited his former hometown of Fairview and saw the devastation first-hand. In an Instagram post, Rice wrote that he shared what he saw with the concert crowd before singing “Carolina Can.”
“It was the toughest time I’ve ever had getting through that song. This morning I’m filled with sorrow for what they’ve been through, but gratitude for what the folks in Carolina just taught me in the last couple days,” Chase wrote.
Scotty McCreery shared a video of himself performing “Carolina To Me” at the benefit concert with a caption that read, “I love you, North Carolina.”
Bailey Zimmerman said he was “honored and so grateful” for the opportunity to participate. He praised the concert headliners, saying,
“#lukecombs & #ericchurchmusic Y’all are real-life [superheroes]… I’ve looked up to both of you guys for a really long time and the fact that I got to be a part of something so special like this with you fellas is truly amazing. What you did is going to [affect] so many people in so many different ways… It was a day and night that I’ll never forget.”
Keith Urban wrote, “When Eric or Luke call I say yes !! A huge shoutout to @lukecombs, @ericchurchmusic, and everyone involved in making @concertforcarolina a phenomenal success . Over $24.5 million raised (and counting !!) 💪”
Singing with his son Henry #JamesTaylor #ConcertForCarolina
Gone to Carolina in my mind pic.twitter.com/VdxKRbfrZg— SmurfAnna (@Elysian_Way) October 27, 2024
Other highlights included a performance of “Carolina In My Mind” by James Taylor and his son, Henry.
Donations for the fundraiser are still being accepted. If you would like to contribute, click HERE.
