With his eighth annual Darius & Friends Benefit Concert on Monday night (June 5) at the Ryman Auditorium, Darius Rucker surpassed $1 million raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The sold-out concert and auction, in conjunction with the golf tournament today (June 6), raised more than $400,000, breaking all previous records and bringing the total amount raised over eight years to $1.2 million.
“You can’t help but be moved by the amazing work that St. Jude does,” says Darius. “To raise this kind of money and awareness for them . . . for the families that rely on St. Jude, it’s just incredible. I’m so grateful to all our friends who came out and donated their time to be on the show.”
Dan + Shay, Luke Combs, Michael Ray, John Oates of Hall & Oates, KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer and Cowboy Mouth’s Paul Sanchez performed with Darius for the more than 2,400 fans in attendance. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn made a surprise appearance and treated fans to “Red Dirt Road” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” before heading back to Bridgestone Arena to watch the Nashville Predators defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Watch Brooks & Dunn perform “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” below.
main image courtesy of Crystal K. Martel Photography
