Four-time CMA Award winner Eric Church delivered a moving performance during Wednesday night’s annual awards show.

Returning to the stage where he was crowned Entertainer of the Year in 2020, Church dedicated his performance to the victims of Hurricane Helene.
A native of Granite Falls, North Carolina, Church has been instrumental in fundraising efforts to support those affected by the September hurricane in his home region.

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.

Watch Eric Church’s incredible performance of “Darkest Hour” in the video below.