This vibrant city, home to most of America’s celebrity country singers and famous institutions like the Grand Ole Opry, is still drowning in despair over the recent flood. Though initially there had not been much mainstream news about the event, Nashville is not a city to lie down and take a beating.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is the latest celeb to step up and recognize Nashville’s enduring need. During his performance at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center Friday, he’ll make everyone laugh and forget about life for a while, but everyone knows that a lot of work remains on the other side. Recognizing that much of his audience’s laughter will turn to tears, Seinfeld is donating all the proceeds from his show to Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
“This is a tough time for a great city, and I’m very happy to donate the proceeds from this show to the local organizations that are bringing help where it’s needed,” Seinfeld said, according to the Associated Press.
Many of the celebrities who call Nashville home have started raising money to donate to the flood victims, but there are a slew of upcoming events with the intention of standing Nashville back up on its feet.
Hoping to be as fruitful as Vince Gill’s telethon raising $1.7 million the week after the flood, the cable channel Great American Country (GAC) will host another fundraising event featuring Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum on Sunday.
A number of live benefit concerts will kick off soon, beginning with Ke$ha‘s concert on June 16. Following up is Nashville Rising on June 22, hosted by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, which will feature Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert and Martina McBride, to name a few. Fundraising continues throughout the summer with the Country Throwdown Tour. Some artists, such as Montgomery Gentry, Eric Church and Jack Ingram will be donating a portion of their merchandise proceeds. Fifty cents per ticket, in some locations, will be donated to Hands on Nashville.
Photo by Eric Hamiter via Flickr, photo by Alan Light via Flickr.