Sturgill Simpson Announces Benefit Concert Supporting Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts

After being forced to cancel his show at Asheville, North Carolina’s ExploreAsheville.com Arena because of the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, Sturgill Simpson has announced a second night at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, North Carolina as a special benefit concert.

All proceeds from the Oct. 21 benefit concert will be donated to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.

A local venue presale starts Thursday, Oct. 10 at 10:00 a.m. ET with the general onsale scheduled Friday, Oct. 11 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to 215 people as of Thursday, with Associated Press reporting that this is the “deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005. Roughly half the victims were in North Carolina, while dozens more were killed in South Carolina and Georgia.” The AP notes that “rescue crews and volunteers [have been] facing obstacles at every turn in North Carolina’s remote mountains” as they’ve had to paddle “canoes across swollen rivers and [steer] horses past mudslides in the rush to reach those stranded or missing.” Hundreds of people are still missing.

Simpson was scheduled to perform at Asheville’s ExploreAsheville.com Arena on Oct. 21. Fans who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster for the Asheville date will have refunds processed automatically. Today’s announcement points out that “those who bought tickets through other sources should contact their point of purchase. Once the concert is rescheduled, priority access will be granted to fans who held tickets for the original date.”

As previously reported, ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, North Carolina; Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina; and Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida, were among the public assembly facilities supporting their communities in need.

Harrah’s Cherokee Center, a multi-venue complex in Asheville, including ExploreAsheville.com Arena, a 7,200-capacity venue, served as a shelter last weekend. Major damage occurred in Asheville, a beloved market in the live music industry and where some concert venues suffered heavy financial losses.

Simpson is managed by TMWRK Management’s Andrew McInnes and represented by Wasserman Music’s Jonathan Levine in North America.

In September Simpson kicked off The AEG Presents “Why Not?” tour in support of his 2024 album. Passage Du Desir, which he recorded under his new moniker Johnny Blue Skies. The tour also commemorates the 10th anniversary of the release of Simpson’s groundbreaking Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. The trek is routed largely through theaters and amphitheaters, along with a handful of arena dates.

READ MORE:
Hurricane Helene Wrecks Venues Across Southeast, Grass-roots Relief Efforts Aid Storm Victims