Garth Brooks, Toby Keith play Oklahoma tornado benefit
Several of the biggest names in country music took the stage in Norman, Okla., on Saturday to raise money for victims of a recent spate of tornadoes there.
Garth Brooks, Toby Keith (who organized the show and lives in Norman), Trisha Yearwood and Willie Nelson were among the acts that performed at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to an estimated crowd of 65,000.
Funds from ticket sales and donations will benefit the United Way of Central Oklahoma, which established a fund for victims of tornadoes in the region, including the devastating May tornado in nearby Moore that killed dozens.
Figures on the total amount raised were not immediately available, but a previous fund-raising concert for the same cause featuring country singer Blake Shelton, an Oklahoma native, raised $6 million. Wal-Mart had previously announced a $1-million donation tied to the event.
Brooks, the event’s biggest star and who grew up in Oklahoma, best captured the day’s mix of revelry and sadness, according to the Tulsa World. “Let’s have some fun and raise some hell,” he said. “Today the healing begins.”
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