Country star Luke Combs sprang into action after Hurricane Helene ripped through his home state of North Carolina. The “Fast Car” hitmaker immediately dialed up Eric Church, who also hails from the Tar Heel State. The two put together the Concert for Carolina, raising a whopping $24 million toward hurricane relief. And the way Church tells it, he really had to put in some work to secure this legendary headliner.
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Eric Church “Had to Hear” This Song in This Stadium
Folk-rock legend James Taylor was just 3 years old when his family moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from Boston. The state took hold of him. Taylor penned “Carolina in My Mind” during a wave of terrible homesickness while in England recording for Apple Records. Often referred to as the “unofficial state anthem” of North Carolina, what’s more fitting for a concert dedicated to the incredible resilience of western North Carolinians?
That’s why Eric Church was immediately determined to hear Taylor perform “Carolina in My Mind” at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium during Saturday’s (Oct. 26) Concert for Carolina benefit.
“I made it my mission, and I’m pretty sure after talking to James last night that I think I stalked him for a period of a week or two,” Church said during a press conference. “I couldn’t get his cell number, so I kept going through my phone to find, ‘Who would know James Taylor?’”
“A Beautiful Night”
Eric Church finally landed upon Joe Walsh, but the Eagles guitarist didn’t immediately respond. The “Drink in My Hand” singer was undeterred.
“James told me last night on stage, he said, ‘You know, you really kind of freaked out Joe Walsh,’” said the seven-time ACM Award winner. “He said, he finally called and said, ‘You gotta talk to this guy and you need to play his show, so he’ll leave me alone.’”
Thus, the “Fire and Rain” singer took the stage Saturday (Oct. 26) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. He treated the crowd of more than 82,000 to a medley of his greatest hits, including “You’ve Got a Friend,” and, yes, “Carolina in My Mind.”
“It turned out to be a beautiful night,” Taylor said. “I’m honored to be here among all these people that are coming together out of compassion and concern for our neighbors.”
Featured image by Amiee Stubbs/imageSPACE/Shutterstock)
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