Luke Combs and Eric Church headlined the Concert for Carolina on Saturday, raising over $24.5 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts in the Carolinas. Over 82,000 fans attended the event at Bank of America Stadium to see performances by Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Bailey Zimmerman, Scotty McCreery, and more. One of the most impressive parts of the event is that it pulled together the largest crowd that Charlotte has ever seen in less than a month. Ticket sales from the event will now be split between Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest, and Eblen Charities.
Eric Church, a Granite Falls native, also announced plans to build 100 homes for those affected in Avery County and surrounding areas. The project, named “Blueprint for the Blue Ridge,” will be supported by his Chief Cares Fund. Concert attendees were encouraged to contribute to the initiative through ChiefCares.com.
Country legend Randy Travis made a surprise appearance, joined by his wife Mary, who emphasized the importance of praying for those impacted by the hurricane. Nicole Kidman also surprised fans, highlighting her husband Keith Urban’s performance.
86,000 ppl came together tonight for #ConcertforCarolina #WNC💙 @ericchurch , @lukecombs & all the amazing artists tonight! #CarolinaStrong 💙 pic.twitter.com/6ESM1bCJsC
— Alicia Lalone🟧 (@AliciaLalone) October 27, 2024
-85k+ people @BofAstadium
-Over $24 million raised for those in need in Western NC.All done in less than a month. All done by the people of NC. Incredible!
— 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 (@joshbstrickland) October 27, 2024
I never thought I’d hear this “live”… Brings me all the back… Closest I’ll get to crossing it off My bucket list.
My whole heart ❤️🙏🏻
Thank you, #JamesTaylor! #ConcertForCarolina pic.twitter.com/ndN1ncEq3l— Inappropriate Ray of ☀️ (Sworn Enemy of Rufus!) (@MrsRotnjetski) October 27, 2024
The concert not only raised money for the devastation in the mountains, it also warmed the hearts of thousands, as families and neighborhoods gathered around projectors and generators to watch the free live feed of the concert.
At a neighborhood block party, surrounded by uprooted trees and condemned houses with no power, but streaming the #ConcertforCarolina on a generator with BBQ and community. pic.twitter.com/iUL0Eo6hNS
— Funkadelic Relic (@natecorbitt) October 26, 2024
Rescue teams, nonprofits, state agencies, and community-led efforts are still needing everyone’s help to contribute manpower, money, and supplies. Here are ways you can;
#1 Volunteer your time:
– Samaritan’s Purse Volunteer Signup
– Appalachian Medical Reserve Corps Volunteer Signup
– North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
#2 Donate your money:
– Red Cross
– Salvation Army of The Carolinas
– JAARS
– Samaritan’s Purse
– Baptists on Mission
– Americares Helene Relief Effort
– Community Housing Coalition (CHC) of Madison County
– BeLoved Asheville
– Hope Mill Inc’s Hurricane Relief
#3 Donate supplies:
– Operation Airdrop
– Foster Family Alliance of NC
– Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry
– NC Mountains Emergency Response Facebook Group
