Dierks Bentley and Pearl Jam Guitarist Team Up for First-Ever Nashville Concert Benefiting the Wrongfully Convicted

Dierks Bentley is giving back. The country star will headline the first-ever Justice Jam concert in Nashville this fall.

The Tennessee Innocence Project and Washington Innocence Project are putting on the event. The organizations work to free innocent people through legal advocacy, strengthen the justice system through policy reform, support re-entry, and educate the public to prevent wrongful convictions.

Jason Gichner, the executive director of the Tennessee organization, said the event is about “channeling the power of Nashville’s music community into real, tangible freedom for people who have run out of options.”

“We are honored to bring this stage together with our partners at the Washington Innocence Project and to show what’s possible when artists lend their voice to justice,” he said, per The Tennessean.

Set to join Bentley on stage is Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, who helped to organize the event.

“I can’t wait,” McCready said. “Music has given me so much. Anytime I can use it to help somebody else or shine a light on something that matters, that’s a pretty great day.”

The McCrary Sisters, Terri Clark, Angie K, Jaid Joice, Bobby Messano, and surprise guests will also take the stage.

Tickets will go on sale Sept. 10 at justicejam.com, with a limited presale on Sept. 9. The concert will take place Oct. 27 at Nashville’s Cannery Hall.

Mike McCready’s Connection to the Cause

McCready is a longtime supporter of the Washington organization. In fact, the Seattle native’s wife, Ashley O’Connor McCready, serves as the board president for the charity.

The concert isn’t the only way McCready is set to give back to the cause. He recently teamed up with the Seattle Seahawks to star in a promo video to raise money for the charity. The video will be played during the Seahawks’ home opener on Sept. 9.

“We’re very humbly excited about it, because it sheds a light on the Washington Innocence Project, and it gives it another level of legitimacy being tied in with the Seahawks, so we’re super stoked about it,” McCready said during a chat with the NFL team. “It’s great. If you have a spotlight, and you have stars—musicians or a star quarterback or whatever—people will listen to them, or you’ll get some press because of who you are, so why not do something to help?”

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM