For six hours last night (January 30) some of the biggest names in music performed on two stages in Los Angeles to raise money for wildfire relief. The fires from earlier this month claimed the lives of 29 people and thousands of homes and businesses.
Streamed across all major platforms, FireAid kicked off at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA with a memorable performance by the Bay Area's Green Day. Their three-song set began with a surprise appearance by Billie Eilish, who duetted with Billie Joe Armstrong on “Last Night on Earth,” a song that featured the lyric, “If I lose everything in the fire, I’m sending all my love to you.”
Eilish and her brother FINNEAS would perform their own set over at the Intuit Dome, also in Inglewood. The siblings adopted a sombre tone, stripping down their performance to just a voice and an acoustic guitar as they ran through "WILDFLOWER," "THE GREATEST" and "BIRDS OF A FEATHER."
In fact it was a night of collaborations. Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals performed with Sheila E. and Dr. Dre, Sting and Stevie Wonder came together along with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, and The Black Crowes were John Fogerty's backing band for CCR's “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
One of the night's biggest surprises was a reunion of Nirvana, with Dave Grohl on drums and Krist Novoselic on bass and a rotating cast of vocalists filling in for the late Kurt Cobain: St. Vincent ("Breed"), Kim Gordon ("School"), Joan Jett (“Territorial Pissings”) and Grohl’s daughter, Violet (“All Apologies").
Canadian folk legend Joni Mitchell, whose career took off in the nearby Laurel Canyon region, along with Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, John Fogerty and Stevie Nicks provided a veteran presence.
There was a younger contingent as well, with Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, Gracie Abrams and Latin superstar Peso Pluma, giving Gen-Z a reason to watch. Pop heavyweights like Katy Perry and P!nk also performed, with the latter paying tribute to folk heroes such as Kris Kristofferson and Joan Baez.
The night's headliners were Red Hot Chili Peppers, who tore through a spirited set at the Kia Forum, and Lady Gaga, who closed out the entire show at the Intuit Dome late into the night. First joined by Bradley Cooper for their duet "Shallow," she closed the night with the debut of a brand new song, "Time is a Healer."
You can still stream the entire six-hour concert below, via YouTube.
Donations can still be made here.