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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — The music played. The crowd roared. Goodwill flowed. Hope seemed tangible.

About 13,000 people — country fans, pop enthusiasts, community fund-raisers, neighborhood philanthropists and just plain folks — gathered at Birmingham’s BJCC Arena for Tuesday’s Bama Rising concert.

Audience members were united by a common goal at the event, which featured performances by nearly 20 music stars and their bands. By buying tickets, which ranged from $25 to $1,000, everyone in the house was helping tornado survivors in Alabama to recover from the devastating storms of April 27.

Proceeds from the show were expected to top $1 million, according to organizers. All money raised will go to charity groups focusing on tornado relief throughout the state, via the Bama Rising Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.

Members of the band Alabama were prime movers for the event, performing for free at Tuesday’s concert and asking their colleagues in the music world to do the same.

Lead singer Randy Owen told the delighted crowd that his reunion with bandmates Jeff Cook and Teddy Gentry wasn’t a one-time thing.

“This is not the last thing we’ll do,” he said.

The band debuted a new song, “Raising Alabama,” during a five-song set near the beginning of the star-studded night.

The lineup for Bama Rising ranged from Nashville heavyweights — such as Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Montgomery Gentry, Sara Evans and Dierks Bentley — to the Blind Boys of Alabama, a Grammy-winning gospel troupe. The Blind Boys opened the show with a harmonizing rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

“When the storm hit Alabama, it knocked us to our knees,” said Jimmy Carter, leader of the Blind Boys of Alabama. “But it didn’t knock us out. Alabama will rise again.”

Folk-rocker Sheryl Crow donated her talents to the cause, as did two “American Idol” veterans, Taylor Hicks and Bo Bice. (Bice did the honors on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and also debuted a new song, “Crimson Red, White & Blue.”)

The Commodores were a late addition to the agenda, ready to add a touch of funk and soul to the evening with “Brick House” and “Lady.”

Most of the 19 acts were scheduled to perform two songs each, focusing on crowd-pleasing hits and inspirational numbers. Alabama had six tunes on its set list, ranging from “Dixieland Delight” to “Tennessee River” to “Angels Among Us.”

Alabama also planned to join Paisley near the end of the show, performing Paisley’s No. 1 single, “Old Alabama,” which was inspired by the band from Fort Payne.

The atmosphere at Tuesday’s concert ranged from festive to serious, as the enthusiastic crowd cheered its favorites and solemnly watched video clips of the tornadoes’ aftermath. Comedian Whoopi Goldberg had taped a message for the audience, as did Birmingham native Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State.

The concert drew a crowd of music fans and, in some cases, people directly affected by the tornadoes.

Concertgoer Holly Capps, 26, said her house in Concord was demolished by the storms.

“I’m here to show support for my neighbors,” Capps said. “I know what they’re going through.”

The band Alabama has pledged its continued support to tornado recovery throughout the state, although future fund-raisers are likely to be smaller in scale than Tuesday’s grand event.

Additional funds for tornado recovery will come from T-shirt sales at the concert and an online auction of 28 donated items — sports tickets, concert tickets, signed memorabilia and more — at Charitybuzz.com.

By Tuesday afternoon, bids totaling more than $28,000 had been placed at the auction site (www.charitybuzz.com/auctions/bamarising). Bidding runs through Thursday; all proceeds will go to the Bama Rising fund.

In addition, “Raising Alabama” is available for download today, and proceeds from sales benefit relief efforts.

The Bama Rising benefit was scheduled to last about four hours, concluding with a performance by all of the artists singing “My Home’s in Alabama.”

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