[4] On the evening of August 11, a day before the Unite the Right rally was to be held, a group of white nationalists marched onto the University of Virginia campus.

Two Virginia state troopers, Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M. M. Bates, were also killed while on their way to assist with public safety in Charlottesville, after their helicopter crashed 7 miles southwest of the city.

The concert then proceeded with performances by The Roots with Bilal and Brittany Howard, Williams, Chris Stapleton, Justin Timberlake and Ariana Grande.

[10][9] The Dave Matthews Band and special guest Stevie Wonder closed out the concert by performing a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine", and Wonder's famous single, "Superstition".

[15] A protest was held across the street at the beginning of the concert, with student and community activists holding banners reading, "No Unity Without Justice.