Alan Jackson kept the crowd on its feet as he performed his top hits, including “Chattahoochee,” “Little Bitty,” “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” and “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”
Written by JACKIE KENNEDY | Photographed by CHRIS MARTIN
Benefit concert brings in thousands of people — and dollars — to help those impacted by the March tornado
The “Where I Come From” Tornado Benefit Concert, featuring headliner and Newnan native Alan Jackson, was held three months to the day after an EF4 tornado ripped through Coweta County on March 26, destroying or damaging more than 2,000 homes and causing an estimated $14 million in damages.
The June 26 concert at Coweta County Fairgrounds morphed into an all-day festival after area artists were invited to perform, and by the time the show was done that night, almost $2 million had been raised to help those impacted by the storm. With 20,000 people at the concert, awareness was raised, too, when Jackson’s portion of the show was streamed live on Facebook.
Addressing his hometown audience, Jackson said he and wife Denise were “so heartbroken” when they saw how the violent tornado had shredded parts of Newnan they knew so well. “All of our childhood and young adult memories come from this area,” he said, adding his appreciation for community organizations and individuals who came together to rebuild after the storm – and to stage the country music festival. “We appreciate all of you who have come out here tonight to help all those folks in need.”
Cowboy hats and boots might as well have been the dress code at the June concert featuring Alan Jackson and other country artists.
Saying he felt like a lot of his hometown’s residents might have been “living on love” in the days and weeks after the tornado, he played his song by that title.
Jackson’s nephews Adam and Brian Wright, Nashville residents and sons of Lamar and Cathy Jackson Wright of Newnan, also performed, along with Brian’s daughter Carlisle. Brian said after the show that he knew from photos the damage was bad but didn’t know the full extent until he saw it in person a few weeks after the tornado.
“A half mile from where I grew up and my folks still live, there was nothing left,” said Brian. “I knew we had to do something. I reached out to Uncle Hat [what his children called Alan when they were too young to pronounce his name] to let him know exactly how bad it was and relayed stories of how hopeless some of the community was. I knew the concert idea would come up and folks were already asking me about it.”
Putting together the massive event in such short time was just short of miraculous, according to Brian. “I can tell you there were mountains moved both at the local and state level to make it happen,” he said. “There was an enormous amount of time, personal money and risk taken to create an event that would not only bring necessary relief money to the area – but also some emotional relief at a time when a ‘Good Time,’ to use the title of an Alan Jackson song, was much needed after this disaster and the devastation of the preceding pandemic.”
Corbette Jackson, of Newnan, and Jared Ames, who performs in Alan’s AJ’s bar in Nashville, kicked off the day of music. Following sets by Brian and Adam, country artists Caylee Hammack and Chris Young performed, leading up to Alan’s show, which kept the crowd on their feet for most of two hours.
Approximately 20,000 people showed up to support tornado victims at the “Where I Come From” benefit concert headlined by Alan Jackson at Coweta County Fairgrounds in June.
After the event, Adam reflected on the experience of sharing a stage with both his uncle and brother for the first time.
“It was so positive. All the workers, organizers, people there helping, all the crew, all the bands, all the fans, everybody was just so happy to be doing something,” he said, noting he could hardly believe how badly the tornado had struck Newnan. “It looked like a place I’d never been. None of my markers were there; I didn’t know where I was.”
Coming together to raise money to help storm victims was a pleasure, Adam added.
“It was hot as blazes, but I can’t remember when I’ve had that much fun playing music,” he said. “It was so much fun, we just kind of floated home, we were so happy about it.”
Brian agreed with his brother. “Being able to perform with some of my best friends and share a stage with my talented family for a hometown crowd for the benefit of the community that raised me was priceless,” he said. NCM
