Country music superstar Dwight Yoakam headlined the inaugural Dwight Yoakam & Friends: Rockin’ for the Kids at The Roxy, during GRAMMY week in Los Angeles. The one-night-only charity concert was held on Wednesday, January 28, at the iconic Roxy Theatre and proceeds benefit the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).

Presented by Dwight Yoakam alongside Billy Bob Thornton and McG, the evening featured a full performance by Dwight Yoakam and his band, with special guest appearances by Charley Crockett, Marcus King, Lukas Nelson, Shooter Jennings, and Grace Potter.

At the beginning of the show, Yoakam took a moment to welcome and thank everyone for supporting the great cause. He then introduced his wife Emily on stage and thanked her for the idea of a benefit show supporting CHLA. The roots of Rockin’ for the Kids trace back to a deeply personal experience for Yoakam and his wife Emily. A few years ago at the height of COVID, when their son was still an infant, the new parents found themselves at Children’s Hospital with Dr. Mark Krieger, SVP and Surgeon-in-Chief at CHLA, for what gratefully turned out to be nothing of any further concern. Coincidentally, in the same time frame, Yoakam had just participated in a live-stream benefit for the Ronald McDonald House located across the street from CHLA.

While waiting in those corridors of CHLA, Dwight and Emily witnessed hundreds of children moving through various stages of recovery and treatment, an experience that left a lasting impression. In their subsequent discussions with Dr. Krieger, Emily mentioned her profound experience working as a volunteer at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville some years earlier. She posed the simple question: how could they give back to the hospital that cares for so many children and their families every day? That conversation planted the seed for what would now become an ongoing philanthropic effort to help raise funds and awareness to CHLA’s work by bringing artists together to make a tangible impact.

In September 2024, when Yoakam was asked to perform a charity concert at the Lido Theatre in Newport Beach, owned by McG, Dwight suggested that CHLA and Children’s Hospital Orange County be the beneficiaries of the night’s fundraising. At that event, Yoakam and Dr. Krieger reconnected and discussed creating a yearly benefit during GRAMMY week and Rockin’ for the Kids was born.

“When you walk the halls of a children’s hospital, it changes you. It puts all of life in a very graphic perspective,” said Dwight Yoakam. “As Emily and I were there with our own child, we saw so many families facing battles no one hopes to ever have to endure. And while we were fortunate to not face those challenges, that experience never left us. Rockin’ for the Kids is our way of saying thank you to Dr. Krieger and the entire staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, on behalf of every family who puts their trust in them every single day.”

Photo credit: Conny Chavez

The night of the inaugural benefit show held several surprises. As half the country faces severe winter storms and freezing temperatures, Billy Bob Thornton was unable to physically attend the event. However, Emily interrupted Yoakam’s performance of “What Do You Know About Love” to hand him his phone with Thornton on a FaceTime call. Yoakam laughed at the situation and spoke to Thornton on the microphone for the crowd to hear. Thornton apologized for not being present as he was stuck in his hotel room and showed the crowd the freezing temperatures outside his balcony.

The show continued with appearances by Charley Crokett, who managed to fly out of freezing Texas to make it to the benefit show. Crokett thanked Yoakam and stated he was in an inspiration to his own artistry. Shooter Jennings, son of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, also made an appearance on stage. Grace Potter joined Yoakam on stage for a rendition of “I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye.”

Several celebrities also made special appearances in the crowd, most keeping a low profile, including Noah Cyrus who popped in for a quick peak of Yoakam’s set. Famous YouTubers Rhett and Link also were spotted in the audience. See more images of the performance down below:

Photo credit: Conny Chavez

Photo credit: Conny Chavez