Rick Diamond/Country Rising/Getty ImagesSunday night’s Country Rising benefit in Nashville raised more than $4 million to help the victims of both the recent hurricanes and the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Jason Aldean, who had just started his set at the Route 91 Harvest Festival when the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history broke out, was among the many stars who took the stage at the Bridgestone Arena this weekend.
“It’s been a rough couple months for us up here,” the two-time ACM Entertainer of the Year told the crowd, “and it’s a lot of fun to get back out and play for the people who matter, which is you guys. I love getting up every day and playing music, and I’ll be damned if anybody out there will ever stop me from doing that.”
Lady Antebellum opened the star-studded night, playing a version of Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly” during their set as a tribute to the late singer. Sam Hunt delivered a chorus of the Woody Guthrie classic, “This Land Is Your Land” in addition to his hits.
Garth Brooks appeared via video, since he was busy doing two concerts in Spokane, Washington to raise money for the cause. Chris Stapleton and his wife Morgane announced they were personally donating a quarter-million-dollars to the effort.
Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Keith Urban and Jon Pardi lent their voices to the sold-out show too.
If you’d still like to help, you can make a donation at CountryRising.org.
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