Artists from the country and Christian music genres came together to perform in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday evening for a benefit event for The Covenant School.
“A Covenant Knight” at the Grand Ole Opry featured performances by Jason Aldean, Morgan Wallen, Old Dominion, Anne Wilson, and others several months after a deadly mass shooting at the local Christian school.
“I am so grateful for the way music impacts our lives and can bring us together, and I’m hoping this event will help everyone feel Jesus’ presence,” Wilson said in a post to X ahead of the event.
All proceeds from the show are being directed to The Covenant School Community Fund to “continue mental health support for healing, ease the transition back into the building and equip the school for a safe, successful new year together,” according to the event page on Opry’s website. The event was put together with the help of two parents of students who attend the school, Houston Phillips and Chad Schultz, who are also music industry veterans.
The shooting at The Covenant School in late March killed three children and three adults. The victims have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9; Hallie Scruggs, 9; William Kinney, 9; Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.
Authorities released body camera video showing police officers responding to the shooting and taking out the shooter, who allegedly was a 28-year-old transgender-identifying woman. The Daily Wire is not naming the suspect to avoid giving notoriety to mass killers.
People who missed the benefit can expect the show to air for six consecutive nights on the Circle Network starting on August 19, the Opry event page said. A smattering of posts and clips from the show made their way to social media that offered a glimpse of the performances and remarks given by some of the artists.
“I want to give a shout-out to the first responders here in Nashville who did such an amazing job,” Aldean told people in attendance, as shown in a clip posted to Instagram by local radio station The Big 98.
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“Glad to be here, glad to help out, and I think about you guys — have been for a long time,” Aldean added.
One TikTok account posted a video showing Wallen addressing the audience.
“Nobody should ever have to go through what you went through,” Wallen said. “But I just wanted to let you know that me and my family have been praying for you and that we’re here for you and we’ve just been thinking about you.”
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“You know, I’ve got a 3-year-old boy, and he’s not at school yet, but whenever I heard this news my mind couldn’t help but go straight to him and think about what you guys are going through,” he continued. “It’s just an honor to be here, to try to give you guys some hope, to try to hopefully have a little bit of fun as well tonight.”
The benefit event took place as children across the country begin to return to classrooms for the new school year.
As of press time, The Covenant School Community Fund website said it had raised more than $570,000 across 279 donations.