PHILLIPS Presents
Tributes & Tunes
All First Responders get in FREE
A Benefit Concert for First Responders
September 11, 2026
World’s Fair Park Performance Lawn
Knoxville, Tennessee
On September 11, 2001, America changed forever.
Twenty-five years later, Knoxville will come together to remember, reflect, and give back.
We are proud to welcome PHILLIPS as the Presenting Sponsor of Tributes & Tunes. Their involvement carries extraordinary meaning. PHILLIPS played a role in the recovery and cleanup efforts following the September 11 attacks, creating a direct and deeply meaningful connection between the history we are remembering and the community we are honoring 25 years later.
Presented by PHILLIPS in partnership with Concerts For Our Own and the City of Knoxville, Tributes & Tunes: A Benefit Concert for First Responders is a community-centered evening honoring the courage, sacrifice, and service of the men and women who protect our communities every day.
Held on the exact 25th anniversary of September 11, the event blends remembrance and celebration through live music, memorial tributes, and shared community experiences beneath the open sky at World’s Fair Park.
Featuring an all-local lineup of East Tennessee musicians, the evening reflects the heart of Knoxville itself — neighbors supporting neighbors through music, gratitude, and unity.
Hosted by:
• Sterl The Pearl
Performances By:
• Cruz Contreras and the Black Lillies
With Special Guest Appearances From
• Con Hunley
• Eric Baker
• Jill Andrews
• Hanna Marie Kelley
• Jeanine Fuller and The True Funk Souldiers
& more to be announced soon !
The evening is intentionally designed as a sequence of shared moments, guiding attendees from reflection to recognition to celebration.
Guests will experience:
• The Survivor Tree Tribute
• The 343 Remembrance Wall
• Honor Guard Presentation & Invocation
• First Responder Recognition Ceremony
• Community Reflection Moments
• A live Concert Closing The Evening On A Note Of Unity and Hope
Proceeds from the evening will benefit
The Knoxville Public Safety Foundation
supporting firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS personnel, and first responder families across East Tennessee.
All First Responders get in FREE. Made possible by Food City
(First responders see your supervisor to request your complimentary ticket)
Knoxville Remembers
On September 11, 2001, our nation was forever changed. While the events of that day unfolded hundreds of miles away, their impact was felt deeply here in Knoxville.
In the days and weeks that followed, our community came together in reflection, unity, and compassion. Vigils were held, flags were raised, and neighbors gathered to honor those who were lost and to stand in gratitude with the first responders who answered the call. Knoxville’s firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel, churches, schools, and civic organizations joined communities across the country in remembrance and support.
Twenty-five years later, that spirit of unity and gratitude remains. Tributes & Tunes is rooted in this same tradition—bringing our community together to honor service, remember sacrifice, and support those who continue to protect and care for us every day.
As we gather through music and shared moments, we remember not only where we were, but who we are:
a community that shows up, stands together, and never forgets.
TITLE SPONSOR — PHILLIPS
WATCH TEDDY PHILLIPS’ 9/11 STORY
Twenty-five years ago, Phillips — then Phillips & Jordan — answered the call following the September 11 attacks, bringing its people, equipment and expertise to the enormous recovery and cleanup effort. Teddy Phillips was there, and his memories provide a remarkable firsthand look at the people, challenges and moments behind one of the most difficult chapters in American history.
As Presenting Sponsor of Tributes & Tunes: A Night of Honor, Phillips’ connection to this event goes far beyond sponsorship. We invite you to hear Teddy tell the story in his own words — and help us ensure these stories are never forgotten.
THE STORIES BEHIND THE BADGE
“Over the next several days, we'll be sharing The Stories Behind the Badge…”
Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, the courage, sacrifice and selflessness we witnessed that day continue in the men and women who answer the call in our own community every day.
In preparation for Tributes & Tunes: A Night of Honor, we sat down with members of Knoxville’s fire and law enforcement community and asked them some very simple questions.
*Why did you choose to serve?
*What does the number 343 mean to you?
*What does September 11 mean 25 years later?
*What do you wish the community understood about the people behind the badge?
Their answers were anything but simple.
They were personal. Emotional. Sometimes heartbreaking. Sometimes inspiring. And they reminded us that behind every uniform is a person, a family, a story — and a commitment to serve others.
These are their stories.
Listen to them. Remember with them. And most importantly, join us in saying thank you.
Meet Our First Responders — In Their Own Words
Tribute To Heroes: Remembering 9/11 1
To remember the events of 9/11, to honor those who lost their lives, those who lost a loved one, and to pay tribute to all the heroes who sacrificed so much in the aftermath. May we never forget.
Tribute to the 343 FDNY Members Killed on 9/11
A video tribute to the 343 FDNY members who were killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001
The Survivor Tree
The Survivor Tree, a callery pear, was pulled from the smoldering rubble of the World Trade Center site after the 2001 attacks and has grown to become a living reminder of the nation's shared strength and resiliency. Watch this story about its remarkable journey of survival and rebirth.
Tribute in Light
Tribute in Light is a commemorative public art installation first presented six months after 9/11 and then every year thereafter, from dusk to dawn, on the night of September 11. It has become an iconic symbol that both honors those killed and celebrates the unbreakable spirit of New York.
Assembled on the roof of the Battery Parking Garage south of the 9/11 Memorial, the twin beams reach up to four miles into the sky and are comprised of 88 7,000-watt xenon lightbulbs positioned into two 48-foot squares, echoing the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers. The installation can also be viewed from a 60-mile radius around lower Manhattan.
Tribute in Light was conceived by several artists and designers who were then brought together under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time: John Bennett, Gustavo Boneverdi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian LaVerdiere, and Paul Myoda, with lighting consultant Paul Marantz.
Tribute in Light is produced by Michael Ahern Production Services.