Dave Matthews Band Announces Charlottesville Benefit Concert With Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, Chris Stapleton, & More
Last month, Nazis and other white supremacists came to the small Virginia city of Charlottesville. Ostensibly, they were there to protest the attempts to remove statues of Confederate generals from city parks. Really, they were there to cause mayhem, and that’s what they did. The white supremacists clashed with protesters, beat up onlookers, and chanted Nazi slogans. And one of them drove a car into a crowd of protesters, killing one and injuring many.
The Dave Matthews Band, who come from Charlottesville, were quick to express their shock and outrage. And now they’re doing something about it. The band put together a huge free concert that will come to the University Of Virginia’s Scott Stadium 9/24. The Dave Matthews Band will headline, of course — the Pope would have to open for the DMB in Charlottesville — and the rest of the bill is full of stars. Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Pharrell, Chris Stapleton, the Roots, Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, and Cage The Elephant will all perform.
Tickets to the show are free, and the concert organizers are prioritizing people who live in and around Charlottesville, as well as UVA students, faculty, and staff. The organizers are asking people to donate to the Concert For Charlottesville Fund at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. Money will go to terrorism victims and their families, first responders, and local and nationwide social-justice organizations. You can request tickets and make those donations here.
As someone who lives in Charlottesville, this is going to be a good, needed thing. And if my ticket request goes through, it’ll also probably be my daughter’s first concert.