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Ahead of the monumental FireAid benefit concert on Thursday night (Jan. 30) across two venues – the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome – more than $60 million had already been raised from sponsorships and ticket sales. And just as the evening kicked off – with the Forum lineup starting promptly at 7 p.m. – another $2 million was raised, thanks to a $1 million donation from U2 and a dollar-for-dollar match commitment from Clippers and Intuit Dome owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie.
As the audience filled in to a DJ set from D-Nice, they were greeted by a wall of screens occupying the front end of the venue. Given the back-to-back performances from one superstar after another, the screens served two functions: quick staging switch-ups and easy viewing of the Intuit performances, which eventually overlapped with the Forum show, with performers at each venue taking turns. (As Earth, Wind & Fire performed at Intuit, fans at the Forum were especially into the livestream, singing and dancing along enthusiastically to “September.”)
And to further aid with the quick onstage turnaround times, the stage was essentially a massive Lazy Susan, allowing one act to be performing while the crew backstage prepped the other half of the stage for whomever was up next.
Following the first performance of the night – from Green Day featuring a special, unannounced guest – Billy Crystal introduced the show and gave a sense of what to expect from the five-plus-hour event. “You’ll be hearing from a number of people who were affected, myself included,” he said. “These are the same clothes I wore when I evacuated.”
He thanked the countless firefighters and first responders, many of whom were in attendance, for their tireless work, and spoke of his own home in the Palisades, which he had lost after living there for 46 years. But, above all else, his sentiment was one that many echoed throughout the night: The benefit concert was all about love. And while many artists busted out sonic love letters to L.A. – from songs like Dawes’ “Time Spent in Los Angeles” to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California” – some simply brought their biggest, most beloved hits, proving the healing power of music across the spectrum.
As Billy Crystal said: “L.A. Strong.”
Read on for the best moments from the Forum.
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Green Day’s Surprise Guest
Green Day started the star-studded show on a poignant opening note, performing “Last Night On Earth” as a slideshow of devastating and apocalyptic-like photos of the wildfires played behind them. The song hit even harder thanks to a special appearance from Billie Eilish – who was scheduled to perform later in the evening at Intuit. After she and frontman Billie Joe Armstrong harmonized and traded verses, he told the crowd: “Los Angeles, we are still alive. This is California and we are in this together.” The band then tore into the more lively “Still Breathing” and fan favorite “When I Come Around,” kicking the show into high gear.
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Alanis Morissette’s Lyrics Speak to the Night
In addition to bringing her powerful vocals and perfect sequined “I Love LA” shirt to the Forum, Alanis Morissette also had just the right words for the night, like in “Thank U” when she sings “How ’bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out?” just as everyone in the crowd does just that without hesitation. Or in “Hand in My Pocket,” when she reassures: “And what it all comes down to/ Is that everything’s gonna be fine, fine, fine.”
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Anderson .Paak Perfectly Pays Homage
Despite performing alongside the legendary Sheila E., .Paak saved an even bigger surprise for last: Dr Dre. “It’s all about love tonight,” the veteran rapper and producer said before he and Paak enthusiastically performed an especially vibrant and heartfelt version of “California Love.”
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Joni Mitchell Adds Layers of Emotion
Seeing Joni Mitchell perform on Thursday night was a marvel for many reasons, not least of which is that the legendary singer/songwriter suffered a brain aneurysm back in 2015 that caused her to lose her ability to speak, let alone sing, and since made a remarkable recovery and returned to live performing. And thank God that she could bring her 1966 classic “Both Sides Now” to FireAid, given its message of how a change in perspective can change everything.
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Dawes Leads by Example
Two members of Dawes – brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith – lost their homes to the wildfires. And yet, the band has put on a brave face to help bring people together through music. Fittingly, the band opened with “Time Spent In Los Angeles,” which recalls the city’s “tragic set of charms.” Stephen Stills and Mike Campbell later joined for Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” before the grand finale — and addition of Graham Nash — for “Teach Your Children.” As Nash said: “Whenever L.A. gets into trouble, the musicians are right there — and I’m proud to be one of them.”
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P!nk & Black Crowes Nail a Pair of Led Zeppelin Covers
After starting with two quiet acoustic songs, P!nk nearly tore the roof off the Forum with a wailing (and very plugged-in) cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You.” Two sets later, The Black Crowes also turned to Zep, enlisting Guns N’ Roses’ Slash for a dueling-guitars cover of the fitting “Going to California.”
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John Mayer Shares the Special Meaning Behind His Tom Petty Cover
Performing solo and acoustically, John Mayer delivered two of his own hits before ending with a special rendition of a Tom Petty classic he started covering nearly 20 years ago: “Free Fallin’.” For many musicians, Mayer told the crowd, “This [song] was our first insight into the dream of living in California – and it is a dream. And for those whose dreams have broken… we will get together tonight and many other nights to make sure those dreams are repaired.”
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Stevie Nicks Dedicates ‘Landslide’ to Firefighters Who Saved Her Home
Stevie Nicks went off script (as only she does best) to tell the story of her 1930s-built home in the Palisades being miraculously saved from the fires, professing that if the wooden house had gone up in flames, it could have taken out the full neighborhood around it. She went on to dedicate Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” to those firefighters, from the Santa Rosa Fire Department. “She’s strong like her mama,” Nicks said of the historic home.
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Gwen Stefani Hypes Up SoCal
“You can’t have a concert for SoCal without this band,” Mayer said while introducing the Anaheim, California-born and bred No Doubt. And judging by the ear-numbing applause, he was right. The band opened with “Just a Girl,” with Stefani adding her own spin, declaring: “I’m just a girl in L.A.,” with the “a” dragging out over several notes. “Where my L.A. girls at?” she asked. “I want my ears to bleed.”
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Red Hot Chili Peppers Mine Their California-Centric Catalog
The Red Hot Chili Peppers might have been the only band on the bill who had to narrow down their California-themed songs for a four-track set, fittingly playing “Dani California,” “Californication” and the Los Angeles love letter “Under the Bridge.” (Their one non-Cali pick: “Black Summer,” from 2022’s Unlimited Love.)
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Nirvana’s Surviving Members Reunite – With Added Star Power
For the biggest surprise set of the night, literally no introduction was needed – nor was there one. Instead, a collision of guitar chords and drum beats reverberated throughout the Forum, signaling that an epic rock show was about to take place. And it did. With Dave Grohl on drums, Krist Novoselic on bass and Pat Smear (who toured with the band) on guitar, the role of vocalist was given to a revolving door of rock and roll icons, including St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Joan Jett. Plus, Grohl’s daughter Violet joined in for the closer of “All Apologies.” But with a lineup this stacked, there’s nothing to be sorry for.
