Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt to Play Harvey Benefit Show
Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt and more will help lead the Harvey Can’t Mess With Texas benefit concert, set for September 22nd at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center.
Matthew McConaughey, Dan Rather, Renee Zellweger and Luke Wilson are among the celebrities who will take part in the special, while Leon Bridges, Lyle Lovett, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Edie Brickell & New Bohemians will also take the stage during an event that promises “exclusive performances and rare collaborations.”
Tickets for the event, the largest live concert benefit in Texas, are available starting today, Wednesday, at 3 p.m. CT at RebuildTX.org. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Rebuild Texas Fund.
Harvey Can’t Mess With Texas: A Benefit Concert for Hurricane Harvey Relief will broadcast live on 11 Texas-area channels with an hour-long live YouTube stream also planned; during the stream, Google will match donations up to $500,000.
Paul Simon previously pledged $1 million to help the hurricane-struck small towns outside of Houston.
“We got lucky when Hurricane Harvey avoided Austin, but though it missed us, it hit our neighbors hard. Every time I’ve asked you to help our neighbors you’ve risen to the challenge,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler said in a statement. “Now we have an opportunity to do good by being our best, and that means putting on a show and having a good time. Let’s show the world what it means to be the Live Music Capital of the World in the greatest state in the Union. I’ll be there and hope to see you, too.”
On Tuesday, the all-star Hand in Hand telethon helped raise money for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.