www.austin360.com
By: Peter Blackstock
All-star benefit musical events have been plentiful in coronavirus time, but even so, this one’s a doozy. “A Night for Austin,” a two-hour streaming event set to air at 8 p.m. June 10 on the website anightforaustin.com and local CBS affiliate KEYE-TV, features a lineup that rivals any such event held during the pandemic. And the cause is specifically Austin-centric.
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First, the lineup: Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Gary Clark Jr., Bonnie Raitt with Boz Scaggs, James Taylor, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Black Pumas, Norah Jones, Vince Gill, Patty Griffin, Lukas Nelson, Flaco Jimenez & Augie Meyers with Los Texmaniacs, Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Jimmie Vaughan & the Tilt-A-Whirl Band, John Hiatt, Ryan Bingham, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel, Terry Allen, Alejandro Escovedo, Edie Brickell, Charlie Sexton with Doyle Bramhall II, Jerry Douglas, and David Ramirez, plus guest appearances by Ethan Hawke, Owen Wilson, Renee Zellweger and Woody Harrelson. All of the performances were recorded recently by the participants, largely at their homes, and have been assembled for the streaming presentation.
Spearheaded by Willie and Annie Nelson with Paul Simon and Edie Brickell, and presented by the organizers of Nelson’s annual Luck Reunion mini-festival, “A Night for Austin” was designed as “a music benefit supporting the Austin Community Foundation fund which is focused on Austin’s businesses and individuals in need of necessary aid,” according to the event’s website.
“100% of the proceeds from the program will go toward Austin Community Foundation and the fund’s beneficiaries MusiCares, Red River Cultural District, Six Square, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, Central Texas Food Bank, Southern Smoke, and People Fund.”
The event also will “highlight many of the iconic venues that have contributed to Austin’s status as a renowned cultural hub,” per the website statement. Already stepping up with matching support have been Universal Music Publishing with $25,000 and BMI Austin with $10,000. Individual donations can be made at anightforaustin.com/donate.
