George Strait Helps Raise $1.5 Million for Bahamas Hurricane Relief With Exclusive Show
George Strait was thinking of others when, in the week of Thanksgiving, he helped raise more than $1.5 million for Hurricane Dorian relief on Monday (Nov. 26) with a one-night-only intimate concert.
Held in downtown Austin, Texas, at the ACL Live venue — where Austin City Limits is taped — the King of Country delivered a two-hour benefit show for 2,500 people, put on by the Discovery Land Company Foundation and the soon-to-be-opened Driftwood Golf & Ranch Club. Local legend Patty Griffin kicked off the show with an acoustic set before introducing Strait and his Ace in the Hole Band.
Humble as always, the Texas and country music icon was sure to point out that those in attendance were responsible for the $1.5 million raised, not him. Money raised will help fund recovery in the Bahamas, an area still reeling from a Category 5 hurricane that tore through in August of 2019. Strait himself has been a frequent vacationer to the islands and wanted to do his part to help out.
With a smile on his face and an "Ocean Front Property" charitable T-shirt over his button-up, the "Troubadour" hitmaker performed 25 songs and a 4-song encore — a setlist of hits new and old. He also came armed with covers from some of his heroes, including Townes Van Zandt’s "Pancho & Lefty," Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me," Merle Haggard's "My Life's Been Grand" and Waylon Jennings' "Waymore’s Blues."
Fans can actually purchase a shirt like Strait's here and help the Bahamas at the same time. The design nods to his chart-topper "Ocean Front Property" and features the colors of the Bahamian flag. All proceeds go to the Abaco Relief Fund, benefitting the islands' reconstruction and recovery efforts for the victims.
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