During Wednesday night’s (November 20) 2024 CMA Awards ceremony, Eric Church’s rendition of “Darkest Hour” silenced the audience.
Everyone in attendance was reminded by the moment that work remains to be done in western North Carolina and east Tennessee.
Before the show, Church’s performance was kept a secret. As part of his attempts to help those affected by the hurricane, he originally made his “Hurricane Helene edit” of “Darkest Hour” available last month.
He revealed to Taste of Country earlier this week that the song would be featured on his upcoming studio album, which is anticipated to be released in 2025.
“We’re pretty good in this country at the 911 part, which is the food, the water, the diapers,” Church asserts. “We’re not very good at the next part, which is how do we keep people there, how do we rebuild the community?”
“And I realized pretty quickly that these people need a place to live, otherwise we’re going to lose the people, and we’ll never rebuild the communities if they disperse.”
Working to maintain families in the neighborhood was therefore a simple choice.
In October, the singer and Luke Combs co-headlined the Concert for Carolina, which raised about $24.5 million for relief. Church has also pledged to remain in his home state of North Carolina for an extended period of time in order to support reconstruction efforts.
In hard-hit Avery County and the surrounding area, he announced a new building effort with the initial goal of building homes for 100 families.
The artist has performed at the CMAs for the second year in a row. In 2023, he and Morgan Wallen sang their hit song, “Man Made a Bar.”
It was a positive performance. The message was elevated by the complete chorus behind him as he sung while strumming a guitar.
In his career, Church has received multiple nominations and accolades at the CMAs. He most recently took home the 2020 Entertainer of the Year award.
ABC broadcast the 2024 CMA Awards live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.The show was co-hosted by Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, and Peyton Manning.
*Keep in mind that watching the CMA Awards on ABC with ToC on your phone is the best option.
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