NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Country music star Faith Hill says giving back just comes naturally for the Mississippi native, and she has a message for those still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

"We are here for you still and you are not forgotten," Hill said before headlining a free concert on Tuesday evening in New Orleans to support those still rebuilding five years later.

She said the evening at the Mahalia Jackson Theater celebrated how far the Gulf Coast has come since the 2005 storm flooded New Orleans and surrounding areas of Louisiana and Mississippi.

"I feel like it's my responsibility to give back," Hill said. "When you've been given so much, it's only right that I do what I can to help, if I can."

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band opened Tuesday's event and about 2,200 tickets were distributed in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette and the Mississippi cities of Biloxi and Jackson.

Hill took the stage after the Dirty Dozen's set, opening with her hits 'Free' and 'Wild One' before bringing the New Orleans-based brass band back on stage to play backup on her song, 'There Will Come A Day'.

After singing 'This Kiss', one of her number one hits, and 'Let Me Let Go', Hill told the crowd that she didn't know where the music might take her.