Photo Credit: Morgan Wallen Twitter
Country star Morgan Wallen is officially set to play a charity concert to raise funds for those in his native Tennessee who were affected by flooding last month.
Sneedville, Tennessee-born Morgan Wallen took to social media to detail his plans for the benefit performance, which is slated to take place at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works this coming Wednesday, September 8th.
On Saturday, August 21st, Middle Tennessee – encompassing 41 of The Volunteer State’s 95 counties as well as its capital – received roughly nine to 17 inches of rain in about six hours, resulting in widespread flash flooding, considerable property damage, and at least 20 deaths, per local reports.
Parts of Humphreys County, which is home to approximately 18,500 persons, received 17 inches of rain, according to the same local sources, while “about 30 roads” in Humphreys’ county seat, Waverly, were “heavily damaged or destroyed by the floodwater.” Additionally, officials estimated that the flooding caused “millions of dollars in damage” to homes, infrastructure, and commercial property, while rainfall resulting from Hurricane Ida this week disrupted the cleanup process in Humphreys.
Now, as initially mentioned, Morgan Wallen has partnered with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund to play a benefit concert “in support of the flood survivors of Humphreys County.”
28-year-old Wallen, whose hometown is about 70 miles outside of Knoxville, unveiled the surprise performance in a tweet, writing: “I have been touched and heartbroken by the stories I’ve heard from the recent flooding and it’s [sic] impact in Middle Tennessee. Wanted to do my part to help. Proud that this is my first official show in such a long time. Hope you guys can make it on such short notice.”
An image included with the tweet shows that artists Lainey Wilson, Josh Thompson, Ernest, Ben Burgess, Jared Mullins, and Lathan Warlick will play “round 1” of the acoustic gig, with Dierks Bentley, Hardy, Cole Swindell, and Wallen himself expected to perform “round 2.” Marathon Music Works will open its doors for the show at 6 PM local time, according to organizers, with a planned 7:30 PM start time for the concert.
Regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and tests, staff will require each ticketholder to present “printed” proof of a negative novel coronavirus test administered sometime during the 72 hours before the show – or, alternatively, proof of “full vaccination,” according to the gig’s website. “Full vaccination” in this instance means that two or more weeks must have passed since one received the final dose of a COVID vaccine.
More than a few fans have responded to Wallen’s post announcing the charity concert, voicing their approval and, in other instances, lamenting that tickets appeared to have sold out. (At the time of this piece’s publishing, passes weren’t available for purchase on the platform that Wallen had originally mentioned.)
However, 89-year-old Loretta Lynn announced a charity concert of her own (also for Tennessee flood victims) today, featuring Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, and others. The event is set to take place at the Grand Ole Opry House on Monday, September 13th.
