Carrie Underwood, Lady A, & More Set for Benefit Concert to Honour Victims of Nashville School Shooting

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Carrie Underwood, Lady A and Thomas Rhett are among the artists set to perform at A Night Of Joy, a benefit concert honouring the victims and their families of Nashville's recent school shooting.

Tyler Hubbard, Chris Tomlin, Colony House, Dave Barnes, Drew Holcomb, Ellie Holcomb, Ketch Secor, Mat Kearney, Matt Maher, Natalie Hemby, Sixpence None the Richer, Stephanie and Nathan Chapman, The Warren Brothers, The War and Treaty, Trent Dabbs, Brett Taylor, Luke Laird, Sandra McCracken, Dwan Hill, Jasmine Mullen and Sarah Kroger will also perform at the show.

The concert will take place on April 12 at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University, with all proceeds going to Nashville’s The Covenant School.

Christian author and podcast host, Annie F. Downs will host the event.

"I'm so honoured to be a part of this event, gathering with our city and rallying around a school and community that I love so much," she said in a press statement.

"Nashville is once again stepping up and using its talents and resources to support the community," Hemby added. "After attending the funerals of victims, who were also friends, it will be healing for me to be able to sing songs about hope in a broken world, and to honour the victims, the school, and the first responders."

Tickets and more information can be found via thefishercenter.com. 
If you're unable to attend, but would like to make a donation, visit here.

On Monday, March 27, 28-year-old school shooter, Audrey Hale (who identified as a male named Aiden) stormed Nashville’s The Covenant School carrying two assault rifles and a handgun. The innocent victims included three 9-year-old students – Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney– and three employees of the school – Cynthia Peak, Katherine Koonce, and Mike Hill. The lone gunman was fatally shot by Metropolitan Nashville Police on the second floor of the school.

A number of country music stars, including Carly Pearce, Margo Price, Jason Isbell and more, spoke out following the tragedy. Cody Johnson and Kelsea Ballerini also addressed the situation at the 2023 CMT Music Awards earlier this week. Ballerini opened the awards with a powerful speech.

“Tonight’s broadcast is dedicated to the ever-growing list of families, friends, survivors, witnesses and responders whose lives continue to forever be charged by gun violence."

“The community of sorrow over this and the 130 mass shootings in the U.S. this year alone stretches from coast to coast," Ballerini cried. "I wanted to personally stand up here and share this moment because on August 21, 2008, I watched Ryan McDonald, my 15-year-old classmate at Central High School, lose his life to a gun in our cafeteria."

McDonald was fatally shot by a classmate at Ballerini’s high school cafeteria in Knoxville, Tennessee, in full view of several other students including Ballerini.

She closed her touching speech by praying for "real action that moves us forward together to create change for the safety of our kids and our loved ones."