CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Luke Combs and Eric Church led the star-studded Concert for Carolina on Saturday, which raised over $24.5 million for relief efforts in the Carolina region following the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
Attended by over 82,000 concert-goers, the event featured performances by James Taylor, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Bailey Zimmerman, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice, The Avett Brothers and Parmalee as well as surprise appearances by Nicole Kidman and Randy Travis.
Hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley, the benefit show – organized by Combs and Church in less than a month – took place at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Here are some of the top highlights from the star-studded event.
Eric Church performed numerous times throughout the night, and also made a major announcement in a video that was played on the stadium’s screen. The country star, who hails from Granite Falls, N.C., revealed that Chief Cares has a plan to build 100 houses for North Carolinians whose homes have been devastated by the hurricane.
“I come from the mountains of North Carolina,” Church said in the video message. “It’s what made me. It’s my home. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for the people there and the influence they had on me. I wouldn’t make the music that I make if it weren’t for the people there and the influence they had on me.”
He continued, “When Hurricane Helene happened, it devastated those communities. These are hard-working, poor communities that rely on each other. And any time a community needs help, it’s always the community next door that comes running in to help. And there are no communities next door. They’ve all been devastated.”
“So we made it our mission at Chief Cares that we’re going to be the community next door,” Church explained. “We’ve come up with a plan called Blueprint for the Blue Ridge. We’re going to put 100 families in homes that have lost their homes in Avery County and the surrounding areas — one of the worst hit areas. In an area that I spent half of my years, an area I’ve had a lot of inspiration and gained a lot of inspiration, in an area I’ve made five records in. And we’re going to go and keep those people in their community, put a roof over their heads, let them interact with their community, let them be a part of their community, and let them help rebuild the community.”
ERIC CHURCH SUPPORTS HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS BY DONATING ROYALTIES FROM NEW SONG: ‘THEY’RE IN NEED’
Church went on to say that Chief Cares had plans for a second part of the initial phase which will exceed the goal of building 100 homes.
“I hope it’s a lot of homes,” he said. “A lot more than 100 homes. I hope it’s about building the businesses and building the community back. That’s what we’re committing to at Chief Cares and we would love your help.”
Church asked fans to visit his organization’s website ChiefCares.com to find ways to help and contribute to Blueprint for the Blue Ridge.
“And we will rebuild western North Carolina,” he declared.
During the concert, Church introduced Keith Urban, noting that the Australian singer was “one of the guys that I’ve always been able to call and count on”
“Even before I can ask the question, he just says, ‘Yes, and whose car are we taking?’” Church said. “He’s one of my favorite musicians. We did a lot of stuff together. You guys are in for a treat.”
After Urban performed his hits “Blue Ain’t Your Favorite Color” and “Wasted Time,” he announced that he wanted to bring “somebody” up to the stage to help him reintroduce Church.
“My wife is over here tonight. Come on, baby girl.” he said as the audience erupted into cheers. “We’re here for everybody, baby.”
The crowd continued cheering as Urban’s wife Nicole Kidman took the stage. The A-list actress, who was clad in a black velvet and leather jacket with dark blue jeans, smiled as she took the microphone from her husband.
“So happy to be here with everyone tonight because of Eric giving Keith a call,” Kidman said.
“I do want to say it’s his birthday tonight,” she continued. “And he went, ‘The one thing I can do…'”
“And he wanted to be here with you,” Kidman added while the audience cheered even louder. “So here we go. Eric Church called him and here we are.”
“One more time, Eric Church, come on up here, brother!” Urban called out as he put his arm around Kidman. The couple shared a quick kiss before Church joined them on the stage and hugged Kidman.
The crowd joined in as Church sang “Happy Birthday” to Urban, who turned 57 on Saturday. The two musicians then performed a duet of “Raise Em’ Up.”
“I love you, Carolina!” Urban exclaimed at the end of the song. “God bless you!”
While co-hosting the show, Marty Smith shared a special message from Dolly Parton. Earlier this month, the country legend donated $1 million of her own money to The Mountain Ways Foundation to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Parton’s Dollywood also contributed an additional $1 million to the relief.
“She asked me to read this statement for you guys,” Smith told the audience as he began reading, “‘It’s so wonderful that Eric and Luke are doing this show to help their people here in North Carolina. Thank you all for being here tonight. You may have heard Jeff Bezos with Amazon dedicated money to Dolly to direct to causes that she cares about. So I want you to know that I’m directing $1 million on his behalf to the Concert for Carolina Chief Cares to help my neighbors in North Carolina with recovery efforts.'”
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Parton’s statement continued, “I know money won’t solve all the pain and suffering these floods have caused, but maybe it will help some of our people with recovery. It’ll take all of us working together, but we can do it.'”
“‘Love, Dolly.'” the statement concluded.
During the concert, Church took the stage, telling the audience that he was going to perform a song that he had “never done in my life.”
Church began singing Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow’s 2001 collaboration “Picture.” To cheers from the audience, Crow joined him on stage after the first verse and the two stars performed a duet.
“Wow, that was fun!” Crow said at the end of the song. “I just got to sing ‘Picture’ with Eric Church. I just have to absorb that for a minute.”
Crow then performed two of her biggest hits, “Every Day Is a Winding Road,” and “If It Makes You Happy.”
“We’re in it with you,” she told the crowd before singing, “It’s a joy and a pleasure and a blessing to be here.”
Country music icon and North Carolina native Randy Travis made a surprise appearance alongside his wife Mary as the pair took the stage to thunderous cheers from the crowd.
Travis, who survived a near-fatal stroke in 2013 that has limited his ability to speak or sing, smiled and waved at the crowd while Mary shared words of support for the victims of Hurricane Helene.
Mary noted that during the Country Music Hall of Famer’s travels, Travis “always said it was North Carolina that he missed the most.”
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“We’re blessed to be back,” she said. “Tonight, we just ask you to spend a little time saying a prayer for those people that lost so much in the storms of life on that September the 30th. We asked God’s grace, his amazing grace. We ask for their hope. We ask for their patience. We ask for their perseverance.”
“We thank you so much for being here,” Mary told the crowd. “Thank you for loving Randy Travis all these years.”
At a press conference ahead of the concert, Combs and Church shared the story of how they were able to enlist the legendary James Taylor to perform at the show.
“I was like, ‘I have to get James Taylor,'” Church said at the conference. “Like I just, I have to hear ‘Carolina in my Mind’ in this stadium. So I made it my mission, and I’m pretty sure after talking to James last night, I think I stalked him.”
Church and Combs’ efforts paid off and Taylor took the stage on Saturday, performing “Carolina in my Mind” along with other hits including “Fire and Rain,” “Copperline,” and Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend.”
“I’d like to thank Luke and Eric, particularly for making me part of this tonight and inviting me to join you all here,” Taylor said.
Luke Combs was the final headliner to take the stage on Saturday night. In between performances, Combs thanked everyone who had helped him and Church organize the benefit concert “from the bottom of my heart.”
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“It’s been a monumental effort on so many people’s lives to make this show happen,” he said noting that “28 days ago, we put together this show that should have taken a year and a half to put together.”
The Asheville, N.C. native also shared memories of growing up in his home state and reflected on the devastation wrought by Helene.
“I wanted to have a good time tonight. I knew I wanted you all to have a good time tonight. But I knew also that I couldn’t ignore the gravity of the situation that we’re all in,” Combs said. “I haven’t been up that mountain yet myself. I have so many friends and family who are here tonight who live every day of their lives up that hill. And the things that I’ve seen, the things that I have heard are beyond words. And I think that there are a lot of you in this crowd who know that tonight.”
He continued, “I know my parents are at home watching, and I know that so many of my friends and family are at home who aren’t here with us tonight. And I don’t know what else to say other than I love you guys. I love North Carolina. I love where I come from.”
After it was announced that the concert had raised over $24.5 million, Combs and Church closed out the night on a high note with a performance of their song. “Does To Me.”
All proceeds will be split equally and distributed to Combs’ and Church’s organizations of their choosing in support of relief efforts across the Carolinas and the Southeast, according to a press release.
Combs’ portion will be distributed among Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC.
Church’s organization 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.
Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
