North Carolinians Eric Church, Luke Combs on hurricane relief concert: 'Going to be emotional'

Eric Church stiffens when he considers what it'll be like to hear James Taylor play "Carolina In My Mind" at the "Concert for Carolina" Hurricane Helene benefit show he has organized with fellow country music star Luke Combs.

"It's going to be emotional. That's one of those songs that I've played a lot," he says. "For all of us dealing with so much, it'll provide some joy."

Church, Combs, Taylor and Billy Strings will headline "Concert for Carolina" Oct. 26 at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium. The event will be hosted by ESPN's Marty Smith and Barstool Sports' Caleb Pressley and will feature additional artists to be announced.

Church, Combs, discuss their plan for assistance following the concert

Church and Combs plan to split the event's proceeds. Combs' portion will be distributed between Samaritan's Purse, Manna Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC and offer immediate benefits to the region. Church's Chief Cares Foundation will fund organizations of his choosing to support longer-term relief efforts across the Carolinas and the Southeast.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Combs recalls spending years in Asheville doing community service at Manna and notes that their entire facility was washed away due to Hurricane Helene.

Church's half of the concert proceeds will benefit, among many things, a lack of roadway infrastructure to businesses, hospitals and schools that could remain inaccessible for months and potentially forever be impacted by last week's disaster.

"Over the next few years, I hope to match my half of the funds we'll raise at the concert," Church says. "Sure, many of us want to turn the page after an event like this. But that's impossible for those people in places like Western North Carolina. Continuing to shine a light on the services they'll continue to require is important."

'Small, proud communities ... desire to be small, proud communities again'

Combs notes that geographically, because Western North Carolina's mountainous areas are so isolated and rural, focusing on reviving infrastructure and services is not simple. A town like Appalachian State University's home of Boone is two hours northwest of Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

"When the creeks that separate towns in valleys suddenly become rivers, it also changes the topographical landscape of the mountains surrounding them," Combs says. "Those towns — and the Western North Carolina region, in general — will never be the same."

"These were small, proud communities that desire to be small, proud communities again," Church adds.

Images of Helene's path of destruction initially shocked Church and Combs. The pair shares collegiate roots at Appalachian State University. Church still currently lives nearby for half the year.

"I'm devastated that areas that I once intimately knew are now unrecognizable," Church says.

Service is 'the heart of what it means to be an artist and songwriter'

A week ago, Church released "Darkest Hour," his first new song in three years, to benefit the people of North Carolina.

"Being in service to the community is at the heart of what it means to be an artist and songwriter," he says.

Though it was not intended to be released until next year, to Church the song's lyrics about "unsung heroes" who "show up when the world's falling apart" fit post-Hurricane Helene America better than any other meaning it could have had.

Because he considers Western North Carolina to be an intrinsic element of his "creative and personal DNA," Helene's damage "hit home harder than anything has ever impacted (him in his) career."

Combs adds that it is his duty to support "people who support me when they need me to help them."

Church finishes the conversation with his most hopeful statement: "This displacement of life will take years to overcome — more than anything, that's most devastating of all. It'll take a while, but one day, things will return somewhat to what they used to be."

Tickets for the show will go on sale on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET. Full details can be found at concertforcarolina.com.

Donations can be made to the North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund or various organizations listed at concertforcarolina.com for those unable to attend the concert but still looking to offer support.