John Mayer, Neil Young Join Katrina Benefit
John Mayer, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Dashboard Confessional, Kid Rock, Melissa Etheridge, Paul McCartney, Motley Crue, Brian Wilson, Goo Goo Dolls, Audioslave, Maroon 5, Good Charlotte, Common, Simple Plan, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Staind are among the artists added to “ReAct Now: Music and Relief,” a concert to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina, on September 10th on MTV, VH1 and CMT.
Other additions include artists with Lousiana and Mississippi ties including 3 Doors Down, Trent Reznor, the Neville Brothers, Marc Broussard, Cash Money’s Baby and Lil’ Wayne, and the Radiators. They join Green Day, Usher, Dave Matthews Band, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Rob Thomas, Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, David Banner and John Mellencamp. The relief concert will be staged simultaneously in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville and Atlanta, with opportunities for viewers to phone in Red Cross donations.
As previously reported, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Omarion, Common and Juvenile are joining the BET telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief, spearheaded by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, airing Friday, September 9th at 7:30 p.m. The artists join a lineup that includes Wynton Marsalis, David Banner and Master P. In addition to their BET appearance, Diddy and Jay-Z have pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross in effort to aid the damaged areas. Similarly, teen singer/actress Hilary Duff will donate $250,000 for victim relief, with $200,000 going to the Red Cross and $50,000 to USA Harvest. Duff is also encouraging fans to bring canned goods to her concerts for donation.
In other benefit news, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Craig Morgan and Billy Currington will perform for Country Reaches Out: An Opry Benefit for the American Red Cross, to be aired live on September 27th from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on the Great American Country network. All money raised, including profits from ticket sales, will be donated to the Red Cross. More performers are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Velvet Revolver will donate all of the ticket and bar proceeds from tonight’s show at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, to the Red Cross. The band was originally scheduled to play the new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s opening concert in Biloxi, Mississippi, on September 9th.
The String Cheese Incident donated four of their touring semi-trucks to the Conscious Alliance, a Colorado-based non-profit organization working with food banks in Houston to collect and distribute food to the New Orleans’ refugees recently relocated to the Astrodome.
Farm Aid activated the Family Farm Disaster Fund to accept donations for families hurt by the hurricane, and, in addition, donated $30,000 to the ravaged Gulf Coast. The festival, founded by Willie Nelson, will celebrate its twentieth anniversary on September 18th in Tinley Park, Illinois.
Gloria Gaynor will participate in a concert hosted by Spirit Ministries on October 8th. The benefit, which expects to announce further talent, will raise funds to aid individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Donations are currently being accepted at the Red Cross Web site, redcross.org, and hotline, 1-800-HELP-NOW. Habitat For Humanity and Salvation Army are also accepting funds, at habitat.org and salvationarmyusa.org, respectively.