CMA Awards honor Hurricane Helene victims during show; Luke Combs, Eric Church pay tribute

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Last month, Luke Combs and Eric Church held a concert to raise money for Hurricane Helene relief. During the 2024 CMA Awards, Combs spoke about their efforts before introducing Church to the stage.

After Combs shared with the audience that he and Church raised over 24 million dollars for Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina, Church stepped out to sing his song, “Darkest Hour (Helene Edition).” Church previously announced that all proceeds from the song would be donated to help hurricane victims. 

During Church’s moving performance, he was joined by a choir of singers and a small orchestra while pictures were displayed on screen showing the devastation left in the wake of the storm, relief efforts, loved ones embracing one another, plus crosses and American flags standing strong. 

Luke Combs, left, and Eric Church honored Hurricane Helene victims during the 2024 CMA Awards. Combs took the stage to speak about the millions of dollars they have raised together, before Church performed his song “Darkest Hour.” (Theo Wargo/Getty Images I Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

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The destruction from the hurricane hit close to home for Combs and Church, who are both North Carolina natives. 

“I remember there was some video of an area that I knew intimately in western North Carolina, and … I didn’t know what I was looking at. It was stunning to me to see this area that I grew up in, that I knew, that I no longer recognized,” Church previously told Fox News Digital ahead of the benefit concert. 

“Very special place for me. A lot of memories there, and I just hate to see the condition that it’s in,” Combs also said.

Eric Church delivered a moving performance of his song “Darkest Hour” at the 2024 CMA Awards. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

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The Concert for Carolina was an event quickly organized by the country stars. It was hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley. The concert was held at Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina. 

There were performances from many massive stars, including James Taylor, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Billy Strings, Bailey Zimmerman, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice, The Avett Brothers and Parmalee, as well as special appearances from Nicole Kidman and Randy Travis.

Luke Combs, left, and Eric Church headlined a show they organized for Hurricane Helene victims in their home state in October. (John Shearer/Getty Images for Concert For Carolina)

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Also during the show, Church made the announcement that his organization would be building 100 homes for Hurricane Helene victims. 

The quickly planned event saw no shortage of attendees, with over 82,000 people filling seats to support the cause.