Darius Rucker Sets Date for 14th Annual ‘Darius and Friends’ Benefit Show
Darius Rucker will once again round up his friends in Music City for a good cause. His 14th annual Darius and Friends benefit concert will take place June 5, a Monday night, at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.
The annual event — which also serves as the kickoff to the city's annual CMA Fest — has raised more than $3 million for St. Jude's mission to "advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic disease through research and treatment." Rucker made a commitment to supporting their efforts 15 years ago, after touring the hospital and meeting some of the young patients.
"This is one of my favorite nights every year," Rucker writes on social media. "The work St. Jude does continues to amaze me and it's an honor to bring together some of my best friends in Nashville each summer to do what we can to support them!"
Last year's Darius and Friends event brought in a record-breaking $516,000. Proceeds from the show were combined with Rucker's corresponding golf tournament and silent auction. Sheryl Crow, Sara Evans, Lindsay Ell, Caylee Hammack and Rachel Wammack were a part of 2022's lineup, and a St. Jude cancer survivor, Addie, stole the show with her performance of "Never Be Enough" from the movie The Greatest Showman. Addie was diagnosed with leukemia at age 15, but has been in remission.
A complete musical lineup for 2023 will be announced in the coming weeks. In the past, Rucker has welcomed Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Jason Aldean, Little Big Town, Scotty McCreery and more to the stage. Proceeds from the night's festivities will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, as always.
Tickets go on sale Friday, April 21, at DariusRucker.com.