Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, James Taylor To Headline 'Harvey Can't Mess With Texas' Benefit Concert

The Live Music Capital of the World will become the next big fundraising epicenter in the recovery efforts of Hurricane Harvey next week. Texas country music legend Willie Nelson will take the stage with international megastar Paul Simon to help Texans cross the bridge of Harvey's troubled waters at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin on Friday, Sept. 22. James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt are also scheduled to perform the benefit to raise money for a Category 4 storm that damaged the land — but not the spirit — of Texas.

Tickets went on sale Wednesday and the Erwin Center is expected to sell out for the 'Harvey Can't Mess With Texas' show. Other Texan entertainers and personalities include Matthew McConaughey, Dan Rather, Renee Zellweger and Luke Wilson, and more musical artists will include Leon Bridges, Lyle Lovett, and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats will perform. Asleep at the Wheel will perform and also serve as the house band. Paul Simon's wife, Edie Brickell and her band, the New Bohemians, will also perform.

The show will broadcast live on 11 Texas-area channels, and an hour-long live YouTube stream is planned. Google announced it will match donations up to $500,000 during the live stream.

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Harvey was a devastating storm that crushed Rockport on Aug. 25 and moved eastward to Houston, where it hovered four days as a tropical storm and dumped more than 50 inches of rain in lots of places. It then moved east to the Texas Golden Triangle, flooding the region of Beaumont, Orange, Port Arthur, Lumberton, Silsbee and other surrounding areas, turning the small towns into islands.

Though Austin was directly impacted by Harvey's fury, the city didn't hesitate to help out its neighbors along the ravished coast and inland communities.

"We got lucky when Hurricane Harvey avoided Austin, but though it missed us, it hit our neighbors hard. Every time I've asked you to help our neighbors you’ve risen to the challenge," Austin Mayor Steve Adler said in a statement. "Now we have an opportunity to do good by being our best, and that means putting on a show and having a good time. Let's show the world what it means to be the Live Music Capital of the World in the greatest state in the Union. I'll be there and hope to see you, too."

Tickets will range from $30 to $199, and proceeds will benefit the Rebuild Texas Fund.

The 'Harvey Can't Mess With Texas' show comes on the heels of Tuesday night's 'Hand in Hand' telethon that was televised nationally from four different cities and raised more than $14 million.

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Willie Nelson performs at Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016, in Austin, Texas.

Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP