Nearly two months after Asheville, North Carolina sustained massive damage from Hurricane Helene, wide swaths of the picturesque mountain city remain wrecked and deserted. Lethal remnants of the storm has caked brown mud on now-derelict buildings and vehicles. Massive piles of debris are everywhere, and citizens are still reeling from the losses of property, livelihood and life.

"I don't think any of us ever thought that this could happen in Asheville," says GRAMMY-winning guitarist, songwriter and band leader Warren Haynes, a native of the Western North Carolina city.

In response to the devastation, the city’s favorite son has organized a benefit concert, set for Nov. 24 at Madison Square Garden. Billed as Soulshine: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief and Recovery, the concert will feature Haynes’ and Dave Matthews Band, plus Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Goose, and a roster of special guests that includes Trey Anastasio of Phish, Trombone Shorty, and Mavis Staples, among others.

"It Can’t Happen Here"

It’s important to note that nobody saw this coming. Asheville — one of the hardest-hit locales, but by no means the only one to suffer Helene’s wrath — is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, some 2,200 feet above sea level and more than a four-hour drive from the nearest ocean shore. The mountain city of about 100,000 people has long been a popular destination for creatives and retirees as well as self-identified "climate refugees" seeking safety from the effects of climate change. Until recently, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other forms of extreme weather were all but unknown in the region.

The devastation of Helene — classified as a tropical storm by the time it charted its path northward from Florida, through Georgia and into the heavily wooded mountains of North Carolina — demonstrated that Asheville and its environs are not immune to severe weather and its effects. Asheville received some 14 inches of rain in a three-day period at the end of September; other areas including nearby Yancey County measured more than twice that amount. The storm would eventually be classified as a "geological event," with the North Carolina Geological Survey cataloging nearly 2,000 landslides in the region. As of Nov. 19, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services verified 103 Helene-related fatalities in the state, with nearly half of those in Buncombe County, home to Asheville.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released estimates of Helene’s impact on the state’s economy, citing October job losses of 8,200 in the Asheville metropolitan area alone. With its service- and tourism-based economy, the city found itself especially vulnerable. Even outside of flood areas, destruction of the city’s water system meant that schools, hotels, restaurants and many businesses were forced to close; even if their facilities escaped direct damage from the storm, running water would be unavailable for several weeks. Even as feverish water line repair work got underway – with critical help from FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – the City of Asheville kept its citizenry under a do-not-drink advisory that was only lifted on Nov. 18, more than 50 days after the storm had passed.

Asheville’s boundaries encompass the confluence of two rivers, the Swannanoa and the French Broad. The banks of those rivers include the city’s Biltmore Village — home to the main entrance of the historic Biltmore Estate — along with the River Arts District, a magnet for art galleries, restaurants, breweries, and other venues and businesses. During the natural disaster, the Swannanoa rose more than 26 feet, sweeping away homes, trees and vehicles, churning muddy water into buildings that often collapsed under the impact.

The French Broad River measured nearly 25 feet on Sept. 27; more than 23 feet above normal. That meant floodwaters completely engulfed structures some distance from the banks; at one point the river measured more than 1,300 feet wide; on a normal day its width is less than 200 feet.

Those parts of the city nearest the rivers, along with nearby Swannanoa, N.C, suffered the worst destruction; many witnesses have likened the scene to a bombed-out battlefield. The loss of property and livelihood has yet to be fully measured; residents who survived are still in shock, reeling from the physical and emotional effects and after-effects of Helene.

As the Commerce Department report emphasized, the numerical measures "fail to capture much of the individual-level impact of the hurricane… the economy isn’t the only aspect of life affected by the storm."

Local Boy Makes Good

Even though he makes his home in New York City these days, the tragedy of Helene hit home for Warren Haynes. The Asheville-born guitarist and songwriter got his start in that mountain city, and was a regular fixture at Caesar’s Parlor, a local bar with spotty enforcement of the state’s liquor-age laws. But Haynes aspired toward bigger things; by the late ‘70s, he led a popular local band, Ricochet. In 1980, he was recruited by outlaw country artist David Allan Coe and hit the road. From there it was on to stints with the Nighthawks and then with former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts.

In 1989, that gig led to a spot in the reactivated Allman Brothers Band, where Haynes took the spot first held by legendary guitarist Duane Allman. Haynes started his own band in the mid ‘90s; popular jam band Gov’t Mule continues to this day. At the same time, he continued with the ABB until its end in 2014. By that point, Warren Haynes had launched a concurrent and creatively fertile solo career; Million Voices Whisper, his third studio album under his own name was released Nov. 1.

While touring with his various bands, working sessions for and with other artists, and other activities, Haynes maintained strong ties with Asheville. Back in 1988, Haynes organized an informal jam — originally at the now long-gone bar 45 Cherry — so that he and his fellow touring players could reconnect during their December breaks from the road. That recurring event soon became a fundraiser; within a few years it grew to a much larger concert, the all-star Warren Haynes Presents Christmas Jam.

Over the years, artists at the nearly-annual benefit have included the Avett Brothers, Bruce Hornsby, Hot Tuna, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Dave Grohl, the Doobie Brothers, Jason Isbell and scores of others. Since its inception, the Jam has raised more than $2.8 million for the Asheville and Western N.C. community through locally-based not-for-profit organizations. 

Haynes still has family in Asheville. His brother Brian, a popular former city council member, owns Records in the RAD, a vinyl record shop in the city’s River Arts District. "It was partially underwater," Haynes says. "He lost all his inventory, but they managed to save all the original artwork that was on the walls."

That perspective — finding and holding on to bits of good news where one can — has been emblematic of many residents’ response. But when the storm hit, chaos and confusion reigned right alongside with the flooding and outages.

"I was on tour when it happened," Haynes says. "It was really frustrating, with nobody [in Western N.C.] having cell service. Thankfully, I was able to get confirmation from my brother that my mother and everybody else in the family was okay." Haynes says that the widespread disruption reminded him of the events of Sept. 11, 2001. "I was in New York when that happened," he says. "My apartment was in the East Village." 

Music To The Rescue

Plans were well underway for the 2024 Christmas Jam — typically held each December at Asheville’s Civic Center — when Helene struck. "We were close to announcing what the lineup was going to be," Haynes says. "But when the storm hit, obviously everything changed." He sensed immediately that at least in the short-to-medium term, continuing to plan a large concert in Asheville wasn’t feasible. "We decided, ‘Let’s turn this into an opportunity to make the most impact that we can" to help the victims of Helene.'"

To meet that goal, Haynes understood that he’d have to put together a large-scale endeavor, and do it quickly. 

"It all started with reaching out to the Dave Matthews Band camp," he says. The DMB already had a pair of concert dates scheduled at the 22,000-seat Madison Square Garden in Manhattan; serendipitously, the night following those shows was open on MSG’s calendar. The group offered to share its onstage equipment backline, solving one of the major logistical challenges associated with planning the quickly-organized benefit concert.

With his years of experience enlisting fellow musicians to take part in a benefit for a worthy cause, Haynes had little trouble getting commitments from artists to round out the bill for Soulshine: A Benefit. In addition to headliners, the concert will feature Robert Randolph, Joe Russo, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks in guest appearances.

Matthews’ staff set up the event’s fundraising infrastructure via the Charlottesville, Virginia Area Community Foundation, supporting Habitat for Humanity’s 2024 Hurricane Recovery Fund. In keeping with the on-the-ground and locally directed focus of the fundraising effort, beneficiaries include Always Asheville Fund, Arts AVL, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, BeLoved Asheville, MANNA Foodbank, World Central Kitchen, WNC Tip it Forward and other relevant nonprofits. 

At press time, the Soulshine benefit was completely sold out, but Haynes anticipated that outcome from the start. A livestream of the show will broadcast for free via the Dave Matthews Band’s YouTube page<; viewers are encouraged to support relief efforts by donating via a link on that site. 

An event like Soulshine is right in keeping with Warren Haynes’ lifelong connection and commitment to his hometown. "Asheville is who I am," Haynes says. "It was such a beautiful place to grow up, and it has blossomed into this amazing oasis in the South. I’m more proud than ever to be from there; Asheville has remained dear to my heart, and it always will be."