Nationwide Anti-Gun Violence Concert Series Expands

Eddie Vedder, Jackson Browne and Rosanne Cash will headline the Beacon Theater September 25th to cap off the Concert Across America to End Gun Violence, a nationwide concert series that has expanded to include 350 events.

The Beacon show will also feature folk rock musician Marc Cohn and Vy Higginsen’s Gospel Choir in Harlem. A show at the Rooftop at the Standard in Los Angeles will feature former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, Ryan Cabrera, Sam Harris of X Ambassadors and the Gay Men’s Chorus of L.A., with Entertainment Tonight‘s Kevin Frazier serving as MC.

The Concert Across America to End Gun Violence seeks to honor victims of gun violence and make prevention a key issue in the upcoming election. While the concert aligns with the Congressionally-designated day to remember murder victims, organizers also hope the concerts will inspire questions about America’s gun violence epidemic at the first presidential debate, September 26th.

“On Sunday we will drown out the hateful rhetoric that has become the hallmark of the gun debate with music, and create a positive national moment of collective remembrance, supported by action and a commitment to change,” said Cash, who has long advocated for efforts to curb gun violence. “I believe our country is good enough and strong enough to eliminate senseless gun violence and prevent the destruction of one more family.”

While the concerts in New York and Los Angeles boast some star power, the majority of the shows are community-driven and some feature musicians who have been directly affected by gun violence. Cohn survived an attempted shooting in 2005, while Alternate Routes guitarist Eric Donnelly — who will perform at the Acoustic in Bridgeport, Connecticut — lost both of his parents to gun violence in 2005. Matthew Gross, former member of the Bush Pilots, survived a gun rampage on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in 1997 that claimed the life of his bandmate, Chris Burmeister; Gross is set to perform at a concert in Peekskill, New York.

The Concert Across America to End Gun Violence will kick off in Hawaii, the state with the lowest gun death rate. The Prince Dance Theatre will perform a special sunrise Hawaiian Aloha chant at the Kahilu Theatre at 12:01 a.m. HST/6:01 a.m. EST. A complete list of participating events, as well as tickets for the Beacon Theatre concert, are available on the Concert Across America website.