BORDERLINE STRONG BENEFIT CONCERT: ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER + MORE SHOW UP FOR THOUSAND OAKS SHOOTING VICTIMS
Esten introduced Schwarzenegger to loud cheers -- and a small standing ovation -- from the crowd. The actor and former California governor introduced Adkins' performance and offered a short speech of gratitude for both the artists and fans who turned out for the event.
"I'm blown away by all of these great performances today ... I want to say thank you to all of the performers here tonight, and I want to say thank you to all of you for being here today," Schwarzenegger shared. "It just shows that while they're fighting in Washington ... Here, we can see how America can come together ... Everyone came together here today ..."
On Twitter, Schwarzenegger added, "I was inspired by how these fantastic artists and the community came together to support the victims and their families. This is America."
Organized by ACM Lifting Lives, the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music, Borderline Strong's proceeds will go to the Ventura County Community Foundation's Conejo Valley Victim's Fund. Readers can see more photos from the evening in the photo gallery below.
Twelve people, including a police officer, were killed when a gunman opened fire at the Borderline Bar & Grill in November of 2018. The venue was hosting "college country night," and some of those in attendance were also at the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in October 2017.
According to its website, the Borderline Bar & Grill is "Ventura County's Largest Country Dance Hall & Live Music Venue." Borderline has been open since the late 1980s, when it was located in Malibu, Calif.; it moved to Thousand Oaks in 1993. Artists such as Lee Brice, Tyler Farr and more have performed at Borderline over the years.
Thousand Oaks is located about 40 miles west of Los Angeles, and was recently ranked as the third-safest city in the United States by Niche.com, which analyzes "crime rates for murder, assault, rape, burglary and other crime statistics by city ... based on data from the FBI and U.S. Census."