Little Boy Fiddles at ACL to Raise Money for Pets Impacted By Harvey

Ten-year-old Jackson Wreden didn’t need stage time to perform and raise awareness for a good cause at Austin’s ACL Festival last weekend. “I really love pets, and I really love animals, and I want to help them out,” the young Austinite told KXAN after he played outside of the festival as crowds turned up for the day’s festivities to raise money for pets displaced by Harvey.

Wreden intends on donating all of the money he collected in his guitar case to Austin Pets Alive! to help with their Harvey animal efforts. On Saturday he made $173 which he added to the $945 he made at other events around the city. And it’s worth mentioning that he’s a very talented fiddle player! See him in action on the news here.

Spirits were high at the ACL Festival with thousands of people attending with the same positive disposition as Wreden. After the shooting in Las Vegas, Front Gate Tickets allowed patrons a refund if they felt unsafe going to the festival, but according to Billboard, the refunds were minimal and tickets continued to sell up until the last minute.

“[The Vegas shooting] was an attack on [the way music lifts you up], on the freedom it brings, and we can’t let those people win who would want us to stop gathering in large crowds and having a good time. We have to keep going out in force and spreading love through music,” Lukas Nelson said on stage.