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Zac Brown Band is gearing up for a special performance at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The “Out In The Middle” artists are slated to play a benefit concert next month, raising awareness and funds for Hop On A Cure, a nonprofit organization that aims to support research to prevent, reverse and cure ALS.
Bandmate John Driskell Hopkins, 51, a founding Zac Brown Band member, created Hop On A Cure Foundation, Inc., following his own diagnosis with ALS in December 2021. Hopkins, a songwriter and bass guitarist, publicly announced his diagnosis earlier this year. He explained at that time that he’d “noticed some balance issues and some stiffness in my hands, after careful analysis by some of the country’s top neurologists, I have been diagnosed with ALS. Because my symptoms have been slow progressing form the start, we believe they will continue to be slow progressing going forward. God willing, I plan to be rocking with these amazing people for many years to come.”
“Playing in Nashville, our home away from home, is always something special,” Zac Brown Band said in an Instagram post as they announced the upcoming performance at the Mother Church. “This particular one is meaningful because we’re raising awareness and funds for one of our very own through [Hop On A Cure]. We see all the love and support [John Driskell Hopkins] has received thus far so we’re gonna being the house down and show folks a good time in appreciation.”
The Ryman Auditorium performance is set for September 22. A portion of ticket proceeds will go to Hop On A Cure, the Ryman states.
Hop On A Cure defines ALS — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — as “a neurological disease that affects the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement (the muscles we have conscious control over). …Individuals affected lose their strength and the ability to control those voluntary muscle movements which include speaking, eating, mobility, and even breathing.” The organization notes that there is currently no cure or effective treatment to hall or reverse the progression of ALS. Hop On A Cure aims to fund research to “make ALS a thing of the past.”
Hopkins spoke out about his diagnosis shortly after sharing the “tough” news. He said at that time that he’s “super blessed to have this many incredible people that are lifting me up and it makes it better.”