Taylor Swift to the Rescue of Tornado Victims

Country star is going out of her way to help Alabamans left homeless by last week's weather damage

By Josh Grossberg May 06, 2011 6:50 PMTags
Taylor SwiftEthan Miller/Getty Images

Taylor Swift is helping out Alabama.

The "Teardrops on My Guitar" songstress is hoping to raise money for victims of last week's devastating tornadoes in the state by giving fans the chance to buy tickets to the final dress rehearsal for her upcoming Speak Now tour.

So...come on people, buy now!

As part of the impromptu benefit, Swift's camp is making approximately 13,000 tickets available for the May 21 rehearsal, scheduled for the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. That's where the 21-year-old singer has been holed up the last five weeks prepping her new stage show.

"I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals, and I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage," Taylor said in a statement on her website. "I've never opened a rehearsal to the public before, but I felt that inviting my fans to the last rehearsal for the Speak Now tour would be a great way to raise money."

More than 300 people were killed when tornadoes cut a wide path of destruction through the city of Tuscaloosa on April 27.  All proceeds will go to those victims' families.

She added: "We will probably still be doing some fine-tuning to the show that night, since this will be a true rehearsal, but I feel like it is so important for me and my fans to help if we can."

Swift is no stranger to giving to those in need, having made sizable donations to relief efforts following disasters in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The Speak Now tour officially kicks off on May 27 in Omaha, Neb.

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