Concert for Carolina, a benefit concert featuring Western North Carolina natives Luke Combs and Eric Church began Saturday morning with a press conference featuring the two country superstars before the star-studded concert in the evening. Gov. Roy Cooper, Carolina Panthers’ owner Dave Tepper and his wife Nicole Bronish were also in attendance to discuss the importance of rallying together during the aftermath of the storm.
“We’re here today to support the victims of Hurricane Helene,” said Bank of America stadium owner Dave Tepper. “For me and Nicole, when we heard about Helene, we never expected it to hit the Carolinas like it did, particularly Western North Carolina. We got word from the Red Cross that this was a level seven disaster event. For those who don’t know the levels, that is a Katrina-level hurricane. It was a holy sh*t sort of moment. We had to do something right away and there was no time to waste. So we did what we had to do. Luke’s people called and said, ‘we’d like to put this together and we’d like to do it fast’. It was a monumental effort by these guys to get it together in three weeks. Live Nation and AEG joined together to do this. A lot of different people were involved to do this and I just want to thank them all for doing that. It was an easy yes from us.”
Tepper’s wife, Nicole Bronish added, “The challenges last month have been profound and the resolve across the county line has been tested. Dave and I continue to be inspired by how everyone has rallied together. It takes a village to get this done. We became a little family, since we met each other and have been doing this. We’ve stood alongside each other and lent our hands to those in need, which is the most important. We are very appreciative to the artists tonight who are graciously donating their time and talent to perform.” The show at Bank of America Stadium sold out within 12 hours of going on sale.
“Our volunteers have been working so hard to respond to the deadliest and most devastating storm to ever hit North Carolina. So far, we’ve lost 98 souls and we expect that number to rise some. We send our deepest condolences to their families and communities,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Probably more than 100,000 people have had damage to their homes. Thousands of businesses have been damaged and have not re-opened yet. We have estimated the financial damages from this storm at $53 billion. Putting that in perspective, that’s more than three times Hurricane Florence, which hit North Carolina in 2018. To be here with two North Carolina treasures – Eric Church and Luke Combs – and the work they’ve done to pull together some of the finest talent in the world to perform tonight to raise money for this worthy cause is so important.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time in the last 28 days in Asheville. I’ve been to 15 counties. I’ve been in some of the worst places. It is astounding what a raging river can do – uprooting large trees, bending steel girders and demolishing buildings and bridges and roads in ways that are unimaginable. But through all the devastation, you see the determination and the character of the people in Western North Carolina.”
“I talked to a man who jumped in one of those raging streams to save a woman, his neighbor. I’ve talked to two young women who turned a bed and breakfast hotel into a place where an entire community in Black Mountain could come to get supper every night and pick up supplies. I talked to a 911 operator who was on the job doing 12 hour shifts when her home had been decimated.
“That’s the spirit we have in Western North Carolina. Our people have the courage, determination and resilience to recover. But they’re going to need our help collectively. They’re going to need local government, state government, the federal government, the private sector, the volunteers, the non-profits, all pulling together so that Western North Carolina can build back in a stronger, more resilient way. This event tonight can make a real dent in that. I’m deeply grateful to be a part of this.”
“I remember sitting at home in Nashville just wanting to help, wanting to figure out how I can be of service to the place that raised me and that I came from. This is the way I know how. I knew Eric would want to be involved,” said Luke Combs. “My roots run deep in this part of the country, as do his, and he was my first call. There was no question that this was going to happen. I just want to reiterate how much work has gone into making sure every single dollar raised at this concert tonight goes out to the people who need it most. I can’t wait to step out on the stage tonight and do what I do best and see him do what he does best, as well as a lot of other great artists do what they do to raise a lot of money for a lot of great causes. Thank you for being here.”
“North Carolina is both of our homes,” added Eric Church. “The small communities that specifically make up Western North Carolina are strong, independent, proud communities. I’ve said many times that they’re the exact community that when the community next door is in trouble, you can count on to come help you. In this situation, there is no community next door. It’s all been destroyed. What you’re seeing tonight is that we are the community next door. The people in this stadium are the community next door. The most powerful thing we have is the people that want to stay in their community. That’s how we built this community; we built it from the inside. It’s up to us to figure out a way to help them stay in the community where they are. That’s what a lot of tonight is about.”
When asked what they were hearing about Hurricane Helene as it happened and what the hardest part was in receiving the news, Combs said, “I think the thing that was scary for me was that I didn’t hear from anyone for a few days. As you all know, cell service and internet were down for quite some time and are still being affected in some ways. Thankfully, everybody I know in the area, I’ve now heard from. As the images started coming out and I was seeing things, I was thinking, ‘this is really bad’ and then not hearing from everyone that I know was when I was like, ‘this is beyond what I even thought was possible in that area’.
“I remember asking my parents when I was a child, why did we move to Asheville?,” continued Combs. “My parents told me nothing bad ever happens in Asheville. My parents told me there are no tornadoes or hurricanes or this or that. It was a safe haven. My dad loved the mountains so much because he felt like he was safe there. He felt like he was wrapped in a warm hug by the landscape. To see something that we didn’t think was possible was very shocking.”
Added Church, “I spent half my year here, in Avery County. These are my neighbors, my community members. To see what happened where the Elk River came through is beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. To echo what Luke said, the scariest part was the silence, when people were trying to get in touch with people. We’re still trying to find people. That’s the devastating part. For Luke and I, we are continuing to shine a light on this. The concert is a great way to do it, but these people are going to need help long after tonight, long after next month, and long after the next six months. So it’s about how we can continue to make people aware of what happened there and help the people.”
During the press conference, Vic Isley with Explore Asheville said that $1 million dollars was donated to the event from the tourism board. Those who would like to help but are not local can support local businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene by visiting https://always.exploreasheville.com/love-asheville. At noon, a food drive began at the North and Blue Cross NC East Gates. Doors opened at 4PM for the concert.
All proceeds from the event, including sponsorships, will be split in half between Combs and Church to help organizations of their choosing in support of Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Combs’ portion will go to Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC and Eblen Charities. Church’s portion will go to his Chief Cares Foundation, which helps charities and organizations to expedite aid directly to the families affected by Hurricane Helene. Overall this is a great story of how you can pull together resources quickly to make things happen with the best intentions.