SALISBURY — Sorry, Salisbury.
Cheerwine announced today the Avett Brothers’ Legendary Giveback charity concert will be held Oct. 19 in Charlottesville, Va.
Tickets go on sale Friday at www.MusicToday.com .
Proceeds from the show will raise money for family-aid organizations across the country, and the concert will be streamed live to anyone who pledges to volunteer time to their community on www.Cheerwine.com/giveback .
Cheerwine was founded in Salisbury 95 years ago. The Avett Brothers formed in Charlotte in 2001, and Scott and Seth Avett grew up in Concord.
The live stream will allow fans who can’t attend the concert an opportunity to see the show. By pledging to volunteer their time to any charity or community organization through Cheerwine.com/giveback or Facebook, they will earn a code that will provide them with online access to the concert through Livestream.
The town that pledges the most hours will have the opportunity to host a Cheerwine-sponsored Legendary Giveback concert viewing party on the night of the big event.
Proceeds from the concert’s ticket sales will benefit several organizations that specifically address the needs of families: Operation Homefront, devoted to helping military service members and their families; Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network; and University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, which offers breakthrough research and total healthcare for childhood diseases.
“For all of our 95 years, Cheerwine has had a very special bond with our fans, whether they were raised on Cheerwine or just took their first sip,” said Tom Barbitta, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Cheerwine. “At the core of this program is a company value that says ‘you get a whole lot more back when you give.’ ”
Partnering with Livestream gives Cheerwine and the Avett Brothers the chance to turn a regional idea into a national phenomenon, Barbitta said.
He said Charlottesville was chosen because it’s “in the heart of Cheerwine country,” allowing fans of The Avett Brothers in the Southeast to come together in celebration.
Cheerwine and new partner Pepsi Beverages Co. in May introduced the cherry-flavored soft drink into Virginia soda fountains and vending machines.
The move was part of a push to put Cheerwine in grocery stores and vending machines in all 50 states by 2017, one century after L.D. Peeler created the cherry-flavored beverage.
The concert will be held in the nTelos Wireless Pavillion, an outdoor venue in historic downtown Charlottesville.
“There’s something very special about combining the joy of making music with the gratification of helping people,” said Scott Avett, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist for the Avett Brothers. “This is a very powerful thing of which we’re immensely proud to be a part, and we hope our friends and fans across the country join us in giving back.”
The Avett Brothers are touring the U.S. in support of their major label debut, “I and Love and You,” which reached no. 16 on the Billboard 200 best selling albums and won critical acclaim.
Their upcoming record, “The Carpenter,” will be released on Sept. 11. “Live and Die,” a song about humility, was the first single from the album that debuted June 26 on NPR and was released nationally July 3.