Maddie and Tae, Terri Clark + More to Perform at Ty Herndon’s Concert For Love and Acceptance 2023

Maddie and Tae, Terri Clark + More to Perform at Ty Herndon’s Concert For Love and Acceptance 2023

Courtesy of the artists

Country hitmaker Ty Herndon is teaming up with LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD to revive their star-studded Concert for Love and Acceptance this June.

First held in 2015, the event will return as an in-person fundraiser for the first time since 2019 after being streamed as a virtual-only event for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Set for June 7 at Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon, the concert will feature live performances from Maddie and Tae, Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, Desmond Child, Wendy Moten, Billy Gilman, Shelly Fairchild and Justin Fabus. Additional artists and special guests are expected to be announced in the weeks ahead.

The event, which falls on the eve of CMA Fest 2023, acts as a way to support and nurture members of the LGBTQ community within the country music industry. That message is especially critical to Herndon in the wake of recent events, including the recent passage of legislation banning public drag performances and gender-affirming care within the state of Tennessee.

"With LGBTQ youth and families under attack here in Tennessee and across the country, it's more important than ever that Nashville come together to send a strong message to them that they are loved just the way they are," Herndon says. "Treating each other with kindness, dignity, respect, and equality under the law should never be a political issue. We are all human, and we all deserve to be loved and accepted."

"Although it is currently an extremely turbulent time for LGBTQ people as we are forced to navigate many barriers being brought forth by a wave of anti-LGBTQ bills popping up all over the country, there is still a palpable momentum happening in Nashville and within country music to make it a more welcoming place for queer people," adds GLAAD Vice President of Communications and Talent, Anthony Allen Ramos. "The Concert for Love and Acceptance's core message of treating others with respect is more urgent than ever."

Seating reservations and ticketing for this year's Concert for Love and Acceptance is currently on sale via Ticketmaster. Proceeds raised from the event will benefit GLAAD and Ty Herndon's Foundation for Love and Acceptance, which strives to "support mental health, LGBTQ and other at-risk youth, and Nashville's country music community."

Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell + More Perform at Nashville's 'Love Rising' Benefit Concert

Some of the biggest names in country, Americana and beyond came together to raise money for LGBTQIA+ charities and to voice opposition towards a recent wave of Tennessee bills passed, including a ban on public drag performances.

Maren Morris, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Sheryl Crow and Allison Russell were among the artists who performed at Love Rising: Let Freedom Sing (and Dance) A Celebration of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, held at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on March 20.
Filed Under: Ty Herndon, Terri Clark, Editor's Picks, Maddie and Tae