Going to be a very special night.
Earlier this week, Luke Combs and Eric Church announced a massive benefit concert to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts called Concert for Carolina, which will take place on Saturday, October 26th at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Of course, Luke and Eric are western North Carolina natives, with Luke growing up in Asheville and Eric in nearby Granite Falls. Both attended Appalachian State University, and got their start playing in the same bars around Boone. Billy Strings and James Taylor are also listed as headliners.
Keith Urban, Bailey Zimmerman and Sheryl Crow were also added to the bill this week, and more artists (and a few surprises) are still to be announced and revealed, as well.
Tickets went on sale this morning at 10AM… and they’re already completely sold out. Luke posted a story on Instagram a few minutes ago saying that there are no more tickets left, which is pretty amazing when you consider the stadium holds almost 75,000 people.
Additionally, stage graphic on Ticketmaster showed an “in the round” type of configuration, meaning they won’t be blocking off any of the sections like they normally do for stadium concerts with a stage that is set up in one end zone. There will probably be well over 75,000 people in the stadium, though we’ll have to wait and see on an official number after the concert.
Obviously, it goes far beyond country music, and it’s not too far off to think they’ve already raised likely millions of dollars for the cause through ticket sales alone:
All proceeds from the event, including sponsorships, will be split 50/50 between Combs and Church’s Chief Cares Foundation to administer to organizations of their choosing in support of relief efforts across the Carolinas and the Southeast.
Combs’ portion will be distributed between Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC (all very legit, and great places to donate if you’re wanting to make a personal donation as well). Church’s Chief Cares is focused on helping established charities and organizations that are well managed, organized and can expedite aid directly to the families affected by Hurricane Helene.
Ultimately, the concert is about shining a light on the heartbreak and devastation there, to bring awareness for the months and even years to come, because that’s how long this process is going to take for people to fully rebuild.
It’s been beyond impressive the way that these two have stepped up for their home state, and Eric also released a song this past Friday called “Darkest Hour,” with all proceeds from it, forever, going to the people of North Carolina.
If you weren’t able to score a ticket or can’t make it to the show, you can donate if you feel led to any of the organizations on the Concert For Carolina website.
“Darkest Hour”