Blake Shelton & Usher Perform Duet At Tornado Benefit Concert
The ‘Healing in the Heartland’ concert in Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena aired on NBC on May 29 and included performances from Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts and more. Watch the video!
The Healing in the Heartland concert aided those whose lives were impacted by the tornadoes that traveled through parts of the state on May 20. The Voice judge Blake Shelton organized the event which featured musicians who urged viewers to donate to United Way’s tornado relief fund.
Oklahoma Tornado Benefit Concert: Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert & More Perform
Blake kicked off the night with “God Gave Me You,” while Vince Gill performed “Threaten Me With Heaven.” Before his heartfelt performance, Vince said, “It’s sure good to be home. I’d like to do this song for 24 people that didn’t make it.” It was a heartbreaking moment.
One Republic’s Ryan Tedder sang “Counting Stars,” Blake’s wife Miranda Lambert performed a tribute to the pets lost or displaced during the horrifying tornados. She sang “The House That Built Me” as photos of animals found in the rescue effort were displayed on a big screen. Miranda had a hard time keeping up her composure.
Usher and Blake, performing the only duet of the night, sang Michael Buble’s “Home.” (Watch their performance below.)
Other performers included Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, and Rascal Flatts. Garth Brooks, NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and NBC late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno also made appearances.
How You Can Help Those Affected By The Tornadoes
Millions of people take to social media after natural disasters to assist in the relief, recovery and rebuilding effort. To help support the “Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert” efforts, United Way and NBC chose Facebook as the exclusive social partner.
During the “Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert,” terms like “tornado”, “Oklahoma” and “heartland” were talked about more frequently than ever before amongst people on Facebook. Specifically, the term “heartland” saw an increase of over 7,000% mentions on Facebook during the initial broadcast. United Way also saw a boost in engagement as well as a 2800% increase in mentions.
Celebrities such as Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire and Vince Gill all posted photos from the evening on their Facebook pages to show their support. Please continue to share support and promote awareness for the relief efforts by visiting the United Way Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/unitedway.
What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Whose performance did you enjoy most?
WATCH: Usher & Blake Shelton Perform At 2013 Healing In The Heartland Relief Benefit Concert
— Chris Rogers
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