Chris Young and Chase Rice are rolling into Columbus's Arena District Friday night for a concert that doubles as a fundraiser, with proceeds benefiting Canine Companions and Charity Newsies, two organizations with deep roots in Central Ohio's disability services and child welfare work. The Columbus Auto Dealers Concert for a Cause takes over KEMBA Live at 405 Neil Ave. for its second annual run, pairing major country music talent with a cause-driven mission built by the region's car dealerships.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, the event will benefit both Canine Companions and Charity Newsies, and last year's concert raised more than $150,000 for the Butterfly Guild at Nationwide Children's Hospital. The Dispatch also reports the concert is presented by Central Ohio Honda Dealers and is an all-ages outdoor event that will go on rain or shine, with accessible seating available on the lawn. The Columbus Auto Dealers Association behind the event has contributed nearly $2 million to local charities across Central Ohio since 2008, according to the CAS Concert for a Cause event page.
Two Headliners, Two Very Different Paths to Nashville
Chris Young, who will headline the show, won the fourth season of Nashville Star in 2006, per the Dispatch. He's since racked up 14 Billboard No. 1 country singles and more than 9 billion career streams, and he recently signed with Black River Entertainment for his 10th studio album, I Didn't Come Here To Leave, a 14-track project with 11 co-writes. Young also supports St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and youth music education programs, the Dispatch notes.
Co-headliner Chase Rice brings a different kind of fame to the bill — he placed first runner-up on Survivor: Nicaragua in 2010, according to the Dispatch. Rice champions veterans' causes, children's groups and mental health initiatives through his Heads Down Eyes Up Fund. He's also become a familiar name to Columbus concertgoers this summer for reasons beyond the stage: Rice's new farm-themed country music bar, Welcome to the Farm, is opening this month in the Short North in partnership with Forward Hospitality Group, a project Hoodline covered last month. The 100-seat venue and patio sit at 906 N. High St., beneath Good Night John Boy, joining existing Welcome to the Farm locations in Cleveland and St. Petersburg, per MusicRow.
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Trey Pendley, signed to independent label Leo33, will perform as a special guest opening the concert, the Dispatch reports. 92.3 WCOL and iHeartMedia have partnered with the concert as well.
Where the Money Goes
Canine Companions provides expertly trained service dogs at no cost to adults, children, and veterans with disabilities, and the organization's North Central Regional Training Center in New Albany has served individuals across 13 and a half Midwestern states since its regional operations opened in 1987. Between concert acts, Canine Companions will hold an onstage check presentation featuring U.S. Army veteran Rob and his service dog Fritter, a graduate team from the program.
Charity Newsies, meanwhile, distributes a $150 brand-new clothing package to each eligible Franklin County student — a coat, hat, gloves, underwear, socks, pants, and shirts or uniform vouchers — reaching roughly 18,000 children annually. The organization has provided school attire to more than 800,000 students since it was founded in 1907. Community fundraising tied to Canine Companions has also popped up elsewhere in the city this summer, including during 614 Restaurant Week.
Getting In the Door
VIP doors open at 5:30 p.m. Friday, with general admission doors following at 6 p.m. and the performances kicking off at 7 p.m., according to the Ohio Auto Dealers Association. Ticket prices range from $47.49 for lawn general admission up to $156.03 for standard seating and $230.87 for pit general admission, per the Dispatch.
Fans looking to make an evening of it can head next door before the show: PromoWest Productions is running an official pre-show happy hour at The Basement, its smaller sister venue directly adjacent to KEMBA Live, from 4 to 6 p.m., with 20% off drinks and $6 pizza slices from Mikey's Late Night Slice. KEMBA Live opened in 2001 as the country's first indoor/outdoor concert venue and holds a maximum outdoor amphitheater capacity of 5,200 guests, with a reversible stage that lets shows shift between an indoor music hall and outdoor lawn setup.
