How Much Did Eric Church + Luke Combs’ Hurricane Benefit Raise?
The numbers are in, and they're staggering.
According to the Charlotte Observer, the Concert for Carolina benefit concert -- a charitable show organized to raise funds for victims impacted by Hurricane Helene -- raised a whopping $24,513,185 towards relief efforts.
Held at Charlotte, N.C.'s Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night (Oct. 26), the sold-out show drew most of its revenue from the 82,193 fans who bought tickets. Luke Combs and Eric Church are the masterminds behind the event, and also headlined the bill, alongside two more stars with Carolina connections: James Taylor and Billy Strings.
More huge musical names filled out the rest of the bill, including Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice, Parmalee, Bailey Zimmerman and more.
The one-night-only show was packed to the brim with special moments and surprises, including an appearance from Nicole Kidman and special charitable announcements from Church and Dolly Parton.
How Did the Concert for Carolina Raise Funds For Hurricane Victims?
- The sold-out stadium show drew massive revenue from ticket sales, which was earmarked directly toward storm relief efforts.
- Fans were also able to purchase tickets to watch the livestream of the show via Veeps.
- Hedge fund manager David Tepper, who owns the Carolina Panthers, and his wife Nicole donated the Bank of America Stadium as the venue for the show, meaning that more funds could be allocated toward hurricane victims.
- The Observer also reports that the stadium team also footed the bill for parking, workers' wages and taxes during the event.
- Though she wasn't on the night's performers list, Dolly Parton made a big impact at Concert for Carolina. During the show, hosts Caleb Pressley and Marty Smith announced that Parton was donating $1 million to the cause, as part of the $100 million Bezos Courage and Civility Award that she received from Jeff Bezos in 2022.
Where Will the Money Raised by Concert for Carolina Go?
- The funds will be split between Combs and Church's Chief Cares Foundation.
- Combs will send his portion to Samaritan's Purse, Manna Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC and Eblen Charities.
- According to the Watauga Democrat, Church also announced that his foundation is launching a home-building initiative called Blueprint for the Blue Ridge. The project's initial goal is to build 100 homes in hard-hit Avery County, N.C.