Last month’s sold-out SOULSHINE benefit concert at Madison Square Garden raised over $4.5 million for hurricane relief with the help of generations of legendary artists and tens of thousands of fans. Through ticket sales, merchandise, and online donations, the all-star marathon concert gathered vital assistance money for North Carolina and Florida in the wake of devastating Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Hosted by Dave Matthews Band and Asheville, NC native Warren Haynes with his eponymous solo band, the four-hour show also featured performances by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Goose, in addition to special guests Trey Anastasio, Mavis Staples, Robert Randolph, Joe Russo, Trombone Shorty, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and Ben Jaffe. Matthews and Haynes opened the show with a stirring duo performance of Warren’s Allman Brothers Band classic “Soulshine”, setting the tone for an evening of collaborations.
SOULSHINE was another high-water mark for indie-groove outfit Goose. The band made its MSG debut with help from Robert Randolph, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and Dave Matthews, who helped punctuate the band’s set with a cover of Bruce Hornsby‘s “The Way It Is”. Haynes had no shortage of willing participants to join in during his Warren Haynes Band set, which reached a thundering conclusion with a Joe Russo and Derek Trucks-assisted “Whipping Post”. Susan Tedeschi and Dave Matthews covered John Prine, Nathaniel Rateliff slow danced with Mavis Staples, Dave and Trey linked up for an acoustic “Waste”, and more before the entire cast brought down the house with a closing cover of The Beatles‘ “Come Together” that packedthe MSG stage with star power.
Fans can continue to support relief efforts by donating here. Net proceeds will benefit the SOULSHINE Concert Fund at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, supporting Habitat for Humanity’s 2024 Hurricane Recovery Fund. Among the beneficiaries of the fund are local charities Arts AVL, Habitat Fall Hurricane Fund, Manna Foodbank, Beloved Asheville, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN, Always Asheville Fund, WNC Tip it Forward, and Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay.
Revisit Live For Live Music‘s full coverage of SOULSHINE here.
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