Four-time CMA Award winner Eric Church took the stage during Wednesday night’s annual awards show for a powerful performance.
Eric Church returned to the stage where he was crowned Entertainer of the Year in 2020 for a beautiful performance dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Helene. Church, who hails from Granite Falls, North Carolina, has played a vital role in fundraising efforts to help those in the area affected by the hurricane in September.
The storm caused catastrophic damage in western North Carolina and East Tennessee, including an estimated 230 casualties. North Carolina alone suffered more than $53 billion in damage and left hundreds of families homeless.
Eric Church joined forces with fellow North Carolina native Luke Combs to headline Concert For Carolina, a benefit concert that raised more than $24 million for hurricane relief. 80,000 fans packed Bank of America Stadium to see Church, Combs, and a star-studded lineup perform during a nearly six-hour-long concert.
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In addition to the concert fundraiser, Church released “Darkest Hour.”
The song was Eric Church’s first solo song in more than three years and signed over publishing royalties so that all profits go to relief efforts.
“We’ve been helping with boots-on-the-ground efforts, but this is something that will live beyond just the immediate recovery,” he said. “This is not a quick thing to fix, so hopefully ‘Darkest Hour’ will be able to contribute to that for a long time to come. This song goes to my home, North Carolina, now and forever.”
Eric Church brought “Darkest Hour” to the CMA Awards stage in honor of those affected by Hurricane Helene.
Church delivered the powerful lyrics as moving videos and images were displayed on a screen behind him, a stark reminder of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene. He revealed to The Tennessean why he chose to perform the song on the CMA Awards, saying:
“I played ‘Darkest Hour’ at the CMA Awards to maintain the power of what music can do as a banner and anthem for assistance in the real world,” Church shared.
“In America, we tend to move on from things quickly, so we’re continuing to focus on the people of North Carolina, who will need help for a long time. Raising awareness for the problems they will continue to face will allow them to receive assistance.”
Watch Eric Church’s incredible performance of “Darkest Hour” in the video below.