Sturgill Simpson is stepping up to help the citizens of hurricane-battered North Carolina. The singer announced a one-off Oct. 21 benefit show at the Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary, N.C. with proceeds earmarked for the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.
Simpson had been booked to play the ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, N.C. on Oct. 21, a show that’s been scotched due to the unprecedented damage the city suffered from the intense rains and flooding spawned by Hurricane Helene. He is currently on tour in support of his Passage Du Desir project under his new Johnny Blue Skies persona.
Tickets for the hurricane relief gig will go on sale via a venue presale on Oct. 10 starting at 10 a.m., followed by a general onsale on Oct. 11 beginning at 10 a.m.; additional details available here.
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Simpson is the latest artist to pitch in to help North Carolinians after Helene swept through and caused massive damage to infrastructure in Western N.C., where power and water outages continue to impact residents in the wake of the storm whose death toll is 215 and counting, making it the third-deadliest of the 21st century, after 2005’s Katrina (1,392 dead) and 2017’s Maria (2,975 dead).
Last week, East Tennessee native Morgan Wallen donated $500,000 to the Red Cross for Helene relief through his Morgan Wallen Foundation, writing, “My family in East Tennessee are safe, but I know many are absolutely devastated there and in multiple states. All my prayers are geared toward those tonight. Those hills and hollers are very important to me in so many ways. It is going to take a monumental effort, and I am in contact with my team and others working on ways I can help.”
North Carolina natives Luke Combs and Eric Church have also said they are looking for ways to contribute and earlier this week animal lover Miranda Lambert donated nearly $100,000 to help relief efforts to aid pet shelters, pets and animals impacted by Helene through her MuttNation Tractor Supply Relief for Rescues Fund.
The category four hurricane that made landfall on Sept. 27 brought massive storm surges, landslides, high winds and dumped unprecedented amounts of rain across six states, washing out roads and rendering some communities inaccessible to aid. With tens of billions of dollars in damages, officials say that it could take months, probably years, for residents in the most heavily impacted areas to recover.
If you want to help, check out links to the organizations below (or click here for a longer list):