ASHES: The city of Asheville, North Carolina, a key market in the live music industry, was hit hard by Tropical Storm Helene after it blew through the state last week. (AP Photo)
Grassroots relief efforts aid storm victims
Hurricane Helene wiped out numerous communities in the Southeast part of the country last week, prompting arenas and clubs to serve as emergency shelters, host benefit shows and feed thousands of displaced residents across the region.
ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, North Carolina; Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina; and Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee, Florida, were among the public assembly facilities supporting their communities in need due to the hellacious storm that will stand among the most costly natural disasters in U.S. history, according to insurance experts.
Early this week, the economic cost tied to the overall wreckage was up to $35 billion and climbing for a massive storm that stretched 800 miles in width, touching six states, according to published reports.
An analysis by Accuweather predicted the economic fallout could potentially run $160 billion, Newsweek reported.
As of Thursday, more than 200 people died across the region due to Helene, CNN reported. Hundreds of people were still reported missing in rural areas affected by the storm.
Major damage occurred in western North Carolina, especially Asheville, a beloved market in the live music industry and where some concert venues suffered heavy financial losses.
The city’s downtown business district sat under water on Friday (Sept. 27) as Helene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved further inland, barreled through the Carolinas.
More than 20 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours in western North Carolina, which led to closure of Interstates 26 and 40 leading into Asheville, cutting off vehicle access to the city of 94,000.
Big chunks of roughly 400 roads, plus bridges, were washed away by the torrential rainfall, which resulted in hundreds of Blue Ridge Mountain residents stranded with no way in and out of their communities.
Harrah’s Cherokee Center, a multi-venue complex in Asheville, including ExploreAsheville.com Arena, a 7,200-capacity venue, served as a shelter last weekend. On Monday (Sept. 30), officials with the city, which owns and operates the facilities, started canceling and postponing events, starting with a pair of Goose concerts (Oct. 25-26) and Paw Patrol Live! (Oct. 29-30).
Salvage Station, an indoor-outdoor concert complex in Asheville focusing on the jam band scene, was destroyed, the facility’s social media posts reported. The outdoor performance space, with 2,500 capacity, had shows booked this week with Shinyribs, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Lotus, with Leftover Salmon and moe. set for Brew Ridge Jam, Oct. 11-12.
WAKE OF THE FLOOD: The statue of bluegrass legend Doc Watson overlooks floodwaters in Boone, North Carolina on Sept.27. (Tucker Deal/Instagram)
Some Asheville venues did what they could to turn the disaster into flood relief to help local residents.
The Grey Eagle, a small music club in town, emerged unscathed from the flooding. This week, after canceling a handful of shows, club officials distributed free food from its taqueria attached to the venue until supplies ran out.
“Our hope is that we will be able to reopen on (Oct. 10), but we are at the complete mercy of the receding floodwaters and city water service being restored,” they wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Oct 1). “Some sense of normalcy for our community is imperative after this catastrophic devastation and we will do our part to provide that the moment we are able.”
As of Wednesday (Oct. 2), the city of Asheville was still without water. Mayor Esther Manheimer told the Asheville Citizen Times that it could be weeks before the city’s severely damaged water system is restored.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a group of individuals that work music clubs in town organized airlifts of supplies to the Asheville area from Concord-Padgett Regional Airport, which sits about 20 miles north of Charlotte. Helene affected many folks that work Asheville music venues that may have lost their homes and jobs.
“These are our people,” wrote Will Heckmueller in a Facebook post. Heckmueller is employed by multiple clubs in Charlotte, including Smokey Joe’s, where local music enthusiasts were encouraged to drop off essential items, including tarp, duct tape, batteries and nitrile gloves. In turn, Heckmueller transported those supplies to a main pickup point at Walmart near the airport.
The grassroots effort in Charlotte extends to a benefit concert on Oct. 11 at Heist Brewery and Barrel Arts, featuring cover band Nectar A Picture of Phish, promoted by Records on the Wall. Donations of $10 a person are suggested.
Tanger Center, a performing arts center in Greensboro, North Carolina, teamed with the local Red Cross chapter to fund raise and provide a reunification link online to help people find family and friends in the Carolinas isolated from the storm.
In Tennessee, The Basement rock club in Nashville organized a benefit show for Oct. 7 to help raise funds for Helene victims in the eastern part of the state, as well as western North Carolina.
To aid independent music and comedy venues devastated by Helene, the National Independent Venue Foundation is lending a hand through their Emergency Relief Fund, according to officials with the nonprofit.
Since 2020, the fund, an extension of the National Independent Venue Association, has distributed more than $3.7 million to independent venues and promoters across the U.S. It provides essential financial support during critically severe emergencies including hurricanes, manmade hazards and other emergencies beyond the control of venue operators.
NIVF is also accepting donations for the Emergency Relief Fund to support the need to rebuild and recover.
Laura Wilson, president of the NIVF board, said the group received outreach all weekend from venues and industry people affected by the storm. A dedicated committee reviews each application and submits them to the board for final approval. Funds are sent within a week to 10 days, capped at $25,000 per applicant, Wilson said.
BLUEGRASS MAN: Sam Bush performs at IBMA Bluegrass Live!, which took place at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday after the skies cleared from tropical storm Helene. (Courtesy Dana Cook)
Apart from live music, sports event cancellations included the Liberty-Appalachian State football game at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina, situated about 100 miles northeast of Asheville.
In South Carolina, the Stanford-Clemson college football game was played as scheduled on Saturday (Sept. 28), a controversial decision drawing outrage from locals upset with the ACC school for using resources they desperately needed after Helene left thousands without power.
On Sunday (Sept. 29), Clemson did open Littlejohn Coliseum, its basketball arena, for residents in need, the university pointed out in a prepared statement.
In Florida and Georgia, Helene caused damage to among other venues, Dick Howser Stadium, Florida State’s baseball facility, and Augusta National, home of The Masters tournament, where downed trees blocked an entrance to the course.
Several big league teams donated millions of dollars toward hurricane relief victims. The list covers Tepper Sports and Entertainment, parent company of the NFL Carolina Panthers and Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC; AMB Sports and Entertainment, parent firm of the NFL Atlanta Falcons and MLS Atlanta United FC; the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans; and the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
In addition, Charlotte’s minor league baseball and hockey teams, the Knights and Checkers, both organized disaster relief efforts at their facilities, Truist Field and Bojangles Coliseum. The Checkers’ program is tied to their opening weekend home games, Oct. 18-19; fans who donate supplies at the arena receive a free ticket to the Oct. 26 contest against the Cleveland Monsters.
Plus, several NASCAR race teams sent semi trucks filled with supplies for distribution to North Wilkesboro Speedway, about 30 miles east of Boone. Charlotte Motor Speedway served as another drop point to assist in the relief effort.
As part of the return to normal, some live music events went on as scheduled, such as the International Bluegrass Music Association festival in Raleigh, North Carolina. The IBMA pushed back its outdoor activities to late afternoon last Friday. As the skies cleared at 5 p.m., Red Hat Amphitheater played host to Sierra Ferrell, Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage and Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band. The show drew a big crowd to the 5,900-seat facility run by Live Nation.
The Steep Canyon Rangers, Saturday’s IBMA headliner at Red Hat, did not perform due to the storm’s aftermath in their hometowns of Asheville and Brevard, North Carolina.
Chatham County Line, a Raleigh bluegrass act, replaced the Rangers and performed with special guests to close the weeklong industry event that encompasses a business conference, workshops, live music showcases and the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, where Del McCoury was named Entertainer of the Year. After spending 12 years in Raleigh, the IBMA moves its event to Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2025, the start of a three-year run in that city.
Editor’s Note: This story was compiled and updated by VenuesNow, and includes information obtained from published reports on Tropical Storm Helene. Staff writer Wendy Pearl contributed to this story.
