To aid the ongoing Palisade and Eaton wildfires in Los Angeles, Calif., Live Nation and partners organized the FireAid concert, raising funds for short-term relief and prevention initiatives. Performers such as Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Green Day and more took the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome stages on Jan. 30. Proceeds from ticket sales and earnings from streaming platforms will go to organizations aimed to assist relief efforts such as California Fire Foundation and California Wildlife Relief Fund.
The event was organized by the Azoff family in conjunction with Live Nation just days after the fires began in January . Whether attending in person or viewing from home, viewers nationwide could listen to their favorite artists while contributing to an important cause.
Fueled by climate change, dry conditions and powerful winds, the LA fires erupted first in the Palisades area, then closer to Eastern California. The fires killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of acres of land, leaving a lasting impact on California communities. While FireAid’s objective was to help in the short term, the concert has raised awareness for what long-term strategies can be implemented in the coming months.
In addition to its concert segments, FireAid included celebrity and surprise speakers in between each artist’s performance. First responder firefighters and those affected had a chance to share their experiences with the world and encourage more viewer donations.
The FireAid concert saw exciting performances and moments. The band No Doubt and Nirvana members reunited to perform hit songs such as “Spiderwebs” and “Don’t Speak.” Lady Gaga lit up the stage with a surprise debut song she and her fiance, Michael Polansky, wrote and dedicated for the concert.
“When I was thinking about what to sing tonight, I thought I want to do something hopeful for you,” Lady Gaga said before singing, “and I was thinking about my songs and there wasn’t anything that seemed quite right, so me and my friend Michael — my fiance, my love — we wrote this song for you. It’s just for tonight, 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.”
Billie Eilish also duetted with the band Green Day. “We’re still alive, this is California, and we’re all in this together,” Billie Joe Armstrong, a member of the band, said before performing. “From the bottom of our hearts, we love you Los Angeles, and we got your back no matter what.”
A spokesperson for the LA Clippers, which assisted in organizing the concert, said that the funds raised by the concert are expected to exceed $100 million.
“The FireAid Grants Advisory Committee, composed of longtime LA-region philanthropic leaders with deep relationships in the non-profit community, have been working to identify key areas of need for maximum impact,” the spokesperson wrote. “Led by the Annenberg Foundation, the committee has been listening daily to affected communities, assessing local resource gaps to ensure aid reaches those most in need, and researching the handling of other fire disasters, such as those in Maui and Northern California.”
This event is a unique opportunity the music industry has organized to raise awareness and funding for global issues. Not only has FireAid entertained, but it also united people for causes that impact everyone around the globe. Using their forefront of social activism, musicians and performers used their platforms to support a noteworthy cause in a way that brings joy in a time of distress and despair and brings hope and solidarity for those affected by the disaster.
