Stevie Wonder, Chance the Rapper & more perform at Chappelle’s Dayton concert

On the morning of August 4, a terrorist opened fire at Ned Peppers Bar in Dayton, Ohio. He killed 9 people, including his sister, and wounded 27 before police officers shot and killed him less than a minute after he began his rampage. He carried out his attack less than 24 hours after another terrorist killed 22 people and injured 24 at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.

In the wake of the shootings, Lady Gaga donated to classrooms in the two communities, as well as to those in Gilroy, California, where a terrorist killed three people at the city’s annual garlic festival at the end of July. Another celebrity who chose to honor the Dayton victims is Ohio native Dave Chappell, who hosted a block party and benefit concert with an incredible line-up on Sunday night:

Dave Chappelle hosted a block party and benefit concert in Dayton, Ohio tonight (August 25) honoring the victims of the recent mass shooting in the city’s Oregon District. Surprise performers included Stevie Wonder, Chance the Rapper, Teyana Taylor, Thundercat, and others. . . .

The free concert—titled the Gem City Shine after Dayton’s nickname—was announced on Facebook, however the lineup was kept a surprise. According to reports by Entertainment Weekly and the Cincinnati Enquirer, Talib Kweli, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart also made appearances onstage.

[From Pitchfork]

People also has a write-up, including some of what Dave and Jon Stewart said to the crowd:

“The best way we can honor our fallen is by getting up better than we were before,” Chappelle told the crowd. “We won’t let those people die in vain.” He later added, “We’re not just doing this for our city, we’re doing this for every victim of every mass shooting in our country.”

Stewart also addressed the crowd, saying, “Dayton, Ohio, you have reclaimed this area.”

The event boasted performances, dining, drinks, and opportunities for people to donate to local organizations assisting businesses with recovery. More than 20,000 people were estimated to be in attendance.

[From People]

That’s such a beautiful gesture by Dave to honor the victims and to also allow Dayton residents to gather together and enjoy themselves at a free concert with an amazing group of performers. People said that Stevie performed “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” “I Wish,” and “Superstition.” Pitchfork‘s list included “Higher Ground” (and “Superstitious.” Really?). It’s so fantastic that he was there, too. In early July, Stevie reluctantly went public with his plans to undergo a kidney transplant in September. He’d planned to perform only three more times before the surgery. I guess he’s feeling well, and I’m so happy to hear it. Pitchfork‘s write-up mentioned that Chance the Rapper performed “No Problem,” and Teyana Taylor sang “Gonna Love Me.” Both Pitchfork and People also noted that before the concert, Dave attended Kanye’s “Sunday Service,” which he’d brought to the city. I’d forgotten about that entirely, but I also think that Kanye’s honoring the victims of the shooting was lovely, too. Finally, People also reported that Khalid is hosting a similar concert on September 1 for the residents of El Paso.

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4 Responses to “Stevie Wonder, Chance the Rapper & more perform at Chappelle’s Dayton concert”

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  1. Ariel says:

    Chappelle’s special, Sticks and Stones, came out on Netflix yesterday, and while, in my opinion, a number of his takes are wrong, it is exceptionally funny. I laughed so hard a few times my lazy dogs were disconcerted.

    • Ramona Q. says:

      Re: the new Chappelle special:

      If you can kill them, we can abandon them.

      Wow, that was so funny. Brilliant.

    • Milkweed says:

      Same! My dogs were like, Are you nuts laughing at your phone this late? It’s sleepy time. Dave was blatantly wrong about at least one thing in the special, that he can’t care about the mass shootings anymore. That was eerie since the Dayton shooting hadn’t happened yet.

  2. KB says:

    As a Dayton Ohio resident, it was great what he did for the city. Dave actually lives in Yellow Springs which is about 30 mins from Dayton. He still goes around and does errands and grabs coffee and things and is always the nicest guy when someone runs into him. My family has always loved him and he’s hilarious. Kanye west was here with Kim and saint and north as well. They went to the cheesecake factory in BeaverCreek and it was a madhouse. People were trying to run into their car to see Kim and I would have been terrified! I can’t believe people were so excited to see her and Kanye 🤢