HARTFORD — Tim McGraw has announced that on Friday, July 17, at XFINITY Theatre in Hartford, he will hold a concert to benefit Sandy Hook Promise. One-hundred percent of the net proceeds of this event will support Sandy Hook Promise, founded in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, with a mission of protecting children from gun violence.

Tickets for “Tim McGraw: A Concert for Sandy Hook Promise” go on public sale Friday, April 17, at 10 am, through www.LiveNation.com and www.ticketmaster.com. 

Featured performers will include current tourmates Billy Currington and Chase Bryant, along with special guests to be announced later. 

Tickets, according to the Live Nation site, range from $31.35 to $71.25 ($43-$88.20 with fees). Tickets for general admission inside the pavilion (no seats) will be $71.25 each ($88.20 with fees), as will lower pavilion seating; mid pavilion seats will be $46.50 to $71.25 apiece ($61.60-$88.20 total); rear pavilion seats will be $46.50 ($61.60); and lawn seating will be $31.25 ($43 total) each.

While the public onsale is scheduled for Friday morning, a series of presales will be made available.  Citi Cardmember presale tickets will be available between noon and 10 pm Tuesday, April 14; Chase Bryant presales will run Wednesday, April 15, from 10 am until Thursday, April 16, at 10 pm; and Live Nation, Live Nation mobile app and radio presales will run Thursday, April 16, from 10 am until 10 pm. 

“Out of this tragedy a group was formed that made a promise to honor the lives lost and turn it into a moment of transformation,” said Mr McGraw. “Sandy Hook Promise teaches that we can do something to protect our children from gun violence. I want to be a part of that promise — as a father and as a friend.”

This cause is close to the performer’s heart, as the fiddle player in his touring band, Dean Brown, is a longtime friend to Mark Barden, a musician and father of Daniel Barden, one of the children killed on 12/14.

“I look forward to being a part of a night of hope and promise and music that will help continue the great work that Sandy Hook Promise is doing,” said Mr Brown.

“We are humbled that Tim would do this for us,” said Mr Barden. “Dean and his wife, Cindy, helped my wife and me through our darkest hour, and helped buoy our spirits.  It meant more than words could ever say.”

Sandy Hook Promise (www.sandyhookpromise.org), based in Newtown, is led by family members who lost loved ones in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and parents from the community. Its purpose is to protect children from gun violence by providing and empowering parents and communities with mental wellness and gun safety programs that help identify, intervene, and stop at-risk individuals from hurting themselves or others.

Mr Barden serves as the advocacy director for Sandy Hook Promise.

Tim McGraw has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and has had 36 #1 singles. He has won three Grammy Awards, 16 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards, 10 American Music Awards, three People's Choice Awards, and numerous other honors. His career achievements include being named the BDS Most Played Artist of the Decade for all music genres, and having the Most Played Song of the Decade for all music genres with “Something Like That.”

The July stop in Hartford is sandwiched between a July 16 scheduled stop in Toronto, Ontario, and a July 18 concert in Holmdel, N.J. McGraw’s summer tour has 36 shows planned, launching June 5 in Little Rock, Ark., and concluding September 19 in Irvine, Calif. The Shotgun Rider Tour is named for the lead single off the performer’s latest album, Sundown Heaven Town, which was released in September 2014. 

He also has a few festival shows and other special dates lined up between mid spring and autumn.

His acting skills were highlighted in the award winning movies Friday Night Lights and The Blind Side, among others. Mr McGraw will star in Disney’s Tomorrowland, in theaters May 22.

This story has been updated to reflect presale offerings and ticket prices.