‘Texas stands up for Texas’: Pat Green raises over $1M at flood benefit concert
A benefit concert for Texas flood victims was livestreamed Wednesday night from Globe Life Field in an effort to “turn the sorrow into some bright light and hopefully bring some resolution for these families that have been decimated,” country singer Pat Green said a couple of hours before showtime.
Green and other country music stars performed in front of livestream cameras at the home of the Texas Rangers to raise money for victims of the July 4 floods. Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, the Eli Young Band and other stars joined Green for the show.
They raised over $1 million during the concert, which was viewed by more than 300,000 people.
“Texas country people are thick as thieves,” Green, who lives in Fort Worth, said of the other musicians on the program. “I look after them and they look after me.”
The idea for the show came from a personal place for Green: His younger brother John Burgess, Burgess’ wife Julia and the couple’s two sons were killed in the floods while camping along the Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country.
“To the families and the loved ones that have lost so much, I am with you not only in heart and spirit, but I am with you totally because my mom and dad, my brothers and sisters, we lost our youngest brother, his wife, and two of the boys are still missing,” Green said. His niece, who was staying at a nearby summer camp, survived and “she’s great and we’re going to take care of her,” he said.
When asked to share a favorite memory of his brother, Green said he once purchased a bright yellow Nissan with “nine million miles on it” for Burgess, who then sold the vehicle to pay for a keg party.
“I told him, ‘I’m not buying you two cars, but I’ll come over for a beer,’” Green said. “If you ever met John or Julia or both of them together, you were in a great spot.”
Out of his own grief came the desire to help other suffering Texans.
“The one thing I know about Texas is that Texas stands up for Texas,” Green said. “We all look out for each other and stand our ground.”
The concert’s setlist wasn’t predetermined: Green instead opted to choose the songs in the moment, and focus on music that helps celebrate the more than 130 lives lost in the floods instead of sad songs, he said.
“For whatever reason, I was given this thing with my voice where I can not only raise awareness but try to change people’s minds,” Green said.
Organizers didn’t set a specific number for the concert’s fundraising goal. Ultimately, Green said he wants to raise as much as possible for flood recovery.
“Is a zillion a big enough number?” Green laughed.
The money raised through the Pat Green Foundation will be distributed to the Kerr County Relief Fund, TEXSAR, and the Do It For Durrett Foundation, “directly benefiting the families affected by this heart-wrenching disaster,” organizers said.
Donations can still be made online at thepatgreenfoundation.com
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 5:22 PM.
