Three of the biggest music stars North Carolina has ever produced — Luke Combs, Eric Church and James Taylor — will headline a special benefit show for victims of Hurricane Helene on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
“Concert for Carolina,” announced Monday morning, also will feature bluegrass musician Billy Strings, a Michigan native.
In a news release, Live Nation said: “The Tar Heel State is a profoundly special place for all four artists, as it is where Combs, Church and Taylor grew up and first discovered their musical interests, and where Strings has performed many, many times over his career and holds an extra special place in his heart.”
Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday; details are at www.concertforcarolina.com. Prices were not immediately available.
Ticketmaster lists 5 p.m. as the start time for the Oct. 26 show.
All proceeds from the event will be split evenly between Combs and Church’s Chief Cares Foundation, to be distributed to organizations of their choosing in support of relief efforts across “the Carolina region.”
The 34-year-old Combs — born in Huntersville and raised in Asheville — announced that his dedicated charities will be Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, and one more organization to be revealed soon. Church’s Chief Cares will help “established charities and organizations that are well managed, organized and can expedite aid directly to the families affected by Hurricane Helene.”
“This concert took so much planning, work, and coordination from so many people,” Combs posted on X alongside the announcement. “I’m so thankful to everyone who helped make this a possibility on such short notice.”
Of the four men atop the bill, only Combs has headlined BofA stadium before. In July 2023, he sold it out on back-to-back nights.
Church, 47, just last week released a new song, “Darkest Hour,” that the Granite Falls native said was dedicated to “the unsung heroes, the people who show up when the world’s falling apart”; he plans to donate all of his publishing royalties for the track to hurricane relief efforts.
In a separate statement on Monday morning, Church called North Carolina “my home. It’s in every fiber of who I am. Our family members, friends, neighbors and communities are in dire need. I’m honored to share the stage with an incredible lineup in order to help meet those needs. Through the dark, light will shine.”
Taylor, a 76-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, has a long association with Chapel Hill and has written many songs influenced by his childhood experiences in North Carolina — most famously, “Carolina in My Mind.”
Meanwhile, Strings is the baby of the group at 32, but has built an impressive resume over the past decade: His album “Home” won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2021. Although he’s not from the area, Monday’s news release stated that “Strings’ life and career has been deeply impacted by the state of North Carolina both personally and professionally, as it is home to some of his most passionate and supportive fans.”
“Concert for Carolina” — presented by Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority — will be hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley.
The release said additional featured artists will be announced in the coming days.
Source Agencies
