Hillhaven HeartSupport Benefit Concert

Hillhaven has been aligned with the mission of HeartSupport since they launched as a band. They took it to the next level on May 28, 2026 when they held a concert benefiting HeartSupport’s work supporting mental health in the music scene.

The show on May 28 was only the band’s second concert, coinciding with the release of their single “Dead Doesn’t Hurt.” Their first-ever concert had been Christmas Burns Red 2024, the annual festival held by metalcore monolith and HeartSupport founding band August Burns Red.

“I heard about HeartSupport through August Burns Red,” Hillhaven lead singer Chris Kelly explains. “I'm a Pennsylvania native, so I've known the ABR guys for a number of years. Hillhaven's first Christmas Burns Red back in 2024, which was the year that the band launched. HeartSupport was there. I had a really great experience with them.”

Chris also tours full-time playing guitar for another band, which has landed him an endorsement from Ernie Ball. That led to him being able to facilitate a guitar being available for auction at Christmas Burns Red, benefiting HeartSupport. The experience was so positive that Chris has kept the nonprofit in mind ever since.

“When I was talking to my manager for Hillhaven and our booking agent about trying to put together a show to coincide with ‘Dead Doesn’t Hurt,’ we thought it would be a good idea to not only come back to the one market that we've played before, but also to get HeartSupport involved,” Chris explains.

Proceeds from the show supported HeartSupport’s mental health care for music fans. Mickey’s Black Box in Lititz, PA hosted the show, not far from Lancaster, where Christmas Burns Red takes place annually. The outcome was a meaningful night of music.

“Hillhaven had me all in my feelings,” one attendee commented on Instagram after the show. “Their talent is undeniable, but it’s the raw emotion and passion in their music that really hits home. Every song felt genuine and relatable. They’ll definitely be on repeat, and I’ll be counting down the days until I get to see them perform again.”

On the surface, Chris Kelly admits wryly that “Dead Doesn’t Hurt” might not immediately seem like a mental health-focused song. But if you dig into the message of forgiveness after betrayal, it actually fits perfectly. Beyond the value of moving through the blistering hurt of being backstabbed, “Dead Doesn’t Hurt” offers fans a chance at solidarity, which the entire concert ultimately became about.

“I think the heart of it is just the catharsis that comes from it, right?” Chris reflects. “In a lot of cases, people can experience that from talking to a friend or talking to a therapist. Oftentimes, especially if you're having a conversation with somebody about something difficult, or something emotional — the more that you have the back and forth, the more comfortable you are continuing to share, thereby peeling back the layers and becoming more analytical about whatever it is.”

Often, that can lead to solutions. Music itself can become that peeling back process, opening up our own experiences to ourselves and each other.

Photos by Matt Thompson

“A lot of the subject matter in our music is something that people who follow causes like HeartSupport are probably very easily able to relate to,” Chris says. “I wanted to give the show a bit more meaning than just, like, we're playing a show, you know? The music and the concert are an important step for us. We would like to have the opportunity to make it important in some other way.”

He adds, “I think that an organization like HeartSupport, whose whole thing is connecting through music, and trying to really instill that community feeling of, ‘you're not as alone as you think you are, there are other people who feel the same ways as you, who like the same things as you.’ Community is the biggest thing that I can pull from it, just like-minded people sharing in a common goal, right? I think that's a really powerful mission statement.”

Community was created at Hillhaven’s show on May 28, and the band will continue creating that community as they add shows and release new music throughout 2026. You can keep up with all things Hillhaven at https://beacons.ai/hillhaven.

“Quite frankly, Hillhaven’s sole mission is quite selfish to me,” Chris says in conclusion. “It's my therapeutic process, right? But seeing that it's been able to help anybody else in some way is perhaps the most rewarding part of the whole thing. What little we have to give to something like that, it just feels like it would be wrong not to take the opportunity to give it, you know?”

If you’d like to join Hillhaven in supporting healing in the scene, you can make a donation today to send HeartSupport to festivals across the country this year!

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