Eric Church, Luke Combs, Billy Strings and James Taylor headline disaster relief concert in Charlotte
October 7, 2024
UPDATE: Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban and Bailey Zimmerman have been added to the lineup. The performers are coming to Bank of America Stadium for one night in October to raise funds for Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
Luke Combs, Eric Church, Billy Strings and James Taylor are coming together to headline “Concert for Carolina,” a special benefit show presented by Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.
The concert is planned for Saturday, October 26 at Bank of America Stadium. The Tar Heel State is a special place for Combs, Church and Taylor, who all grew up and discovered their love of music in North Carolina. It’s also where Strings has performed many times over his career. Within days of the four announcing the benefit show, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban and Bailey ZImmerman joined the lineup. More artists are expected to be announced soon.
The group of four mobilized and started reaching out as the devastation from Hurricane Helene quickly became apparent. David Tepper, owner of the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC and Bank of America Stadium, and wife Nicole immediately offered the stadium as a venue to make the concert happen as quickly as possible.
The North Carolina ties are strong. Luke Combs was born outside of Charlotte and was raised in Asheville. He attended Appalachian State University and first performed his own songs at local bars in Boone. Combs performed back-to-back sold-out shows at BofA Stadium last summer.
Eric Church is a native of Granite Falls and also began his musical journey in Western North Carolina, playing gigs throughout high school and during his time at ASU. He was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and in 2022, he was awarded the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest civilian honor. Most recently, he released the song “Darkest Hour” this past Friday in response to the recent devastation, with all publishing royalties being donated to relief efforts.
Singer-songwriter James Taylor moved to Chapel Hill with his family when he was just 3 years old. Taylor’s father served as the dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill medical school from 1964 to 1971. Taylor’s childhood experiences influenced many of his most popular songs, including “Copperline” as well as the beloved “Carolina in My Mind.” Over the course of his career, Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums, has won multiple Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, as well as the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
Although he is a Michigan native, Strings has performed at major venues across the state, including an upcoming six-night run at Asheville, currently scheduled for later this year.
All proceeds from the event, including sponsorships, will be split equally between Combs and Church’s Chief Cares Foundation to administer to organizations of their choosing in support of relief efforts across the Carolina region. Combs’ portion will be distributed between Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, as well as one more organization still to be announced. Church’s Chief Cares is focused on helping established charities and organizations which can expedite aid directly to the families affected by Hurricane Helene.
The event will be hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley. Tickets for the show will go on-sale Oct. 10 at 10 a.m.
Featured image of Eric Church playing in Charleston by Anthony D’Angio
