On Jan. 30 the epic six-hour FireAid benefit concert to raise funds for wildfire relief, rebuilding, and fire prevention efforts aired and streamed simultaneously across Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Facebook, Instagram, Max, Netflix, Tudum, Paramount+, Peacock, NBC News Now, YouTube, and KTLA, plus select AMC and Regal theaters around the country. Viewers were able to donate to FireAidLA, and during the event L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Connie Ballmer matched donations dollar for dollar.
The show began at the Kia Forum with an unexpected duet between Green Day and Billie Eilish on Green Day’s song “Last Night on Earth,” whose lyrics carried extra weight on this occasion: “If I lose everything in the fire, I’m sending all my love to you.” That was a fitting opener that captured the night’s theme and prevailing mood, mourning what was lost but celebrating the unity that arose from the natural disaster that claimed 29 lives and thousands of homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area.
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The performances were intercut with video packages and first-hand accounts of the devastation that befell the Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities. Comedian Billy Crystal shared his own experience of losing his home: “I had not cried like that since I was 15 years old and was told my father had just died,” he told the audience. But he balanced his testimonial with humor, joking that “our goal is simple tonight: to raise more money than the Dodgers spent on free agents.” He assured us, “Even in your worst pain, it’s okay and it’s important to laugh … We’re Los Angeles, one city, one heart. L.A. strong!”
The evening balanced the nostalgia of veteran musicians like Alanis Morissette, Sting, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Joni Mitchell with contributions of younger stars including Gracie Abrams, Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, and Peso Pluma. Pink gave us the best of both worlds. After performing her own “What About Us?” she transitioned into a pair of songs from other artists that comfort her. The first was “Me and Bobby McGee.” Then she asked the audience if they were fans of Led Zeppelin and was relieved at the cheer that rang out from the crowd. She sang their rendition of “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” in a soaring vocal performance that was one of the highlights of the night.
Pink provided another memorable moment when she injected a bold, defiant dose of politics into a concert where commentary on the second Donald Trump administration was left as subtext if it could be detected at all. When introducing a later set, she said, “Ladies and gentlemen and every other gender that absolutely exists, I give you John Mayer!” It was a clear response to Trump’s policies targeting the transgender community — including an executive order recognizing only two genders supposedly established at conception.
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Among other special moments, Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals performed with Sheila E. and Dr. Dre. Sting sang alongside Stevie Wonder, accompanied by Chili Peppers bassist Flea. In a thrilling musical moment, the surviving members of Nirvana reunited for a medley cycling though female vocalists: St. Vincent, Kim Gordon, Joan Jett, and Dave Grohl‘s daughter Violet Grohl. It was a reprise of Nirvana’s 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction performance featuring those first three women and Lorde instead of the younger Grohl.
Overall, the performances ranged from the contemplative (like Eilish’s low-key acoustic set with her brother Finneas) to celebratory (No Doubt joyously rocked out on a few of their iconic ’90s hits). Closing the show was Lady Gaga, who started with two songs from A Star is Born — “Shallow” and “Always Remember Us This Way.” Then she confessed to having trouble finding a third song from her catalog with the right hopeful tone for the occasion. When in doubt, just write a new one. She penned an original ballad with her fiancé Michael Polansky. “It’s just for tonight,” she said. “It’s just for you. I think we all need a lot of things right now, but I think something we may also need is time. Time is a healer.” She sang on the chorus, “All I need is time.” Time to grieve what was lost. And time to build again in its place.
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