Billie Eilish, Sting, Olivia Rodrigo, Red Hot Chili Peppers perform at L.A. benefit

After being introduced by Jimmy Kimmel, Lady Gaga sat onstage at her piano to perform “Shallow,” a song from the film “A Star Is Born,” which she won an Oscar for in 2019.

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel made an appearance as the show began to close out, noting to the crowd that the city “needed a good night.”

“We got a lot of bad nights, but here we are sharing love and music and probably the norovirus,” Kimmel said. “But I think it’s worth it. What a magical show, what an incredible night.”

He shouted those who were affected by the fires, as well as all those who showed up to volunteer and donate, in addition to the first responders and incarcerated firefighters.

“This is a tragedy that hurt everyone who lives here, and it will continue to hurt for many years,” he said. “But it’s also brought us much closer together, and I am very grateful, especially for our firefighters.”

Sting returned to perform “Higher Ground” with Stevie Wonder, a song they’ve performed together before.

Sitting before a keyboard onstage, Stevie Wonder started off his set with a message of unity.

“We have no time for blaming. We have no time for shaming,” he said. “We need to have prayer and come together as a united people of the world.”

He went on to perform “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” followed by “Superstition.”

Billie Eilish, who opened the show earlier with Green Day, is back onstage for a set with her brother, Finneas. The pair started off with “Wildflower,” then transitioned to “The Greatest.”

“It’s a really, really scary time, and it’s been so devastating. L.A. is like my favorite place in the world and my only home,” Eilish said, adding that she and Finneas grew up in the city.

They ended their set with “Birds of a Feather.”

Dressed in all white, Peso Pluma entered the stage with a performance of “La Bebe.”

Sting, introduced by Olivia Rodrigo, kicked off his set with The Police’s “Message in a Bottle.”

He’s among the final artists slated to perform tonight, as the clock nears midnight local time.

Olivia Rodrigo, who was introduced to the stage by actor Miles Teller, opened her set with her hit “drivers license.” She’s one of the final performers of the night.

“It has been so heartbreaking to witness all of this devastation in this incredible city,” she said. “I love L.A. so much. I’ve lived here my whole life. I love everybody who lives in L.A.; you guys are amazing. I find this place so beautiful and so inspiring.”

She followed up with “deja vu,” which she says is one of many songs she’s written about her life in L.A.

Actor Miles Teller, who lost his Pacific Palisades home in the fires, came to the stage to thank first responders and introduce Chad Comey, another community member who was directly affected by the natural disasters.

“We lost our residence, but we didn’t lose our resilience,” Comey said. “We will persevere.”

Among the items Comey lost in the fires: a drumstick from the band Green Day. Teller surprised Comey with a gift from the band’s drummer, Tré Cool, who joined them onstage.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who formed in L.A. in the ’80s, kicked off their set with some of their most notable hits, including “Dani California” and “Californication.”

“Los Angeles is our home, we f—–g love you,” Flea, the band’s bassist, said.

Before the event kicked off, a handful of performers walked the red carpet to talk about why they participated tonight. Watch the video below.

Lil Baby took the stage to perform “So Sorry” and “Emotionally Scarred.”

He thanked first responders and firefighters, saying his “heart goes out” to those affected by the L.A. wildfires.

Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, the surviving members of the band Nirvana, surprised FireAid viewers by reuniting at the event.

The three were joined by other performers, including St. Vincent, who sang the band’s “Breed.” Kim Gordon and Joan Jett also followed with their own unexpected performances.

All three artists sang with the surviving members of Nirvana for its Rock Hall induction in 2014.

Violet Grohl, the eldest daughter of Grohl, the Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer, also performed the Nirvana song “All Apologies.”

Katy Perry is proud to be a California girl.

“Can we keep this energy going forever?” Perry said before performing her hit song about the Golden State. “This is what makes us human. This is what separates us from the robots. This is humanity, this is love, this is kindness. I have been so inspired by how quickly our community organized to help our neighbors in need. It really reminds me that the people have the power.”

She waved the state’s flag while walking around the stage during the number.

Katy Perry, accompanied by Pasadena Chorale, began her performance with “Rise,” a song about survival. She thanked them before transitioning to another one of her hits, “Roar.”

“California, we always rise,” the pop star said. “And we always roar, don’t we?”

Over three three hours into the show, and by our tally, at least nine more artists are still slated to perform.

They include: Billie Eilish (who joined Green Day earlier in the night for one song), Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, Stevie Wonder, Sting and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Stevie Nicks stepped onstage to cheers as she sang “Stand Back.” Afterward, she gave credit to local firefighters for saving her wooden house — which she said could have set the whole street ablaze if it burned.

“Knowing that I was a full-on Pacific Palisadean woman with an old, beautiful, famous house that was almost taken from me as the fire came up the hill behind my house, and I was pretty sure, as they whisked me away and evacuated me — my least favorite word now — to another safe place, that when I turned around and looked my house would be up in flames,” Nicks recounted.

But the house “stands strong, just like her mom. And in my opinion, she saved that whole street.”

Dedicating her next song to the firefighters, she launched into “Landslide.”

Following Tate McRae, Jelly Roll greeted the audience energetically before launching into “I Am Not Okay.”

Then, he brought Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker onstage to join him as he sang Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Nights” — which he called “one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite songwriters about one of my favorite cities in America.”

The Roberts family, who managed to save only a few items from their home before it burned, introduced Tate McRae, who started her set with “you broke me first.”

McRae told the crowd that since she moved to Los Angeles four years ago with a “dream to become a musician,” she feels “so lucky and blessed to now call it my home.”

“It’s been a really devastating start of the year, but … how much we’ve come together has been a pretty magical thing to watch,” she said. “I’m so grateful to be a part of this and for every single person who showed up tonight and every artist who performed. So thank you.”

She went on to perform a cover of Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”

Grayson Roberts, 10, and his family lost everything in the fires. Their Altadena home was gone just a day after they were forced to evacuate.

Grayson, who was born with a congenital eye condition and is legally blind, spoke at FireAid tonight and even got to announce Tate McRae’s performance.

“When life gives you lemons or burnt houses, you make lemonade,” Grayson said with a smile on his face to a cheering crowd.

No Doubt, a band from Anaheim, California, reunited at the Kia Forum.

The band started strong with a performance of “Just a Girl.” After Gwen Stefani professed her love for L.A. midsong, she asked “all the L.A. guys” to sing along with her, followed by the “L.A. girls.”

At one point, Stefani sang “I’m just a girl from L.A.” replacing the normal lyrics.

No Doubt followed up with “Don’t Speak” and “Spiderweb.”

“Look at us all coming together for love,” Stefani shouted to the crowd toward the end of the performance.

Gracie Abrams, who grew up in Pacific Palisades, one of the areas affected by the L.A. fires, gave her home city love onstage.

“I just want to say I grew up in the Palisades and my heart is with all of my neighbors and everyone in Altadena,” she said after she performed “I Love You, I’m Sorry.” She went on to thank first responders and express her gratitude for the benefit.

“I think that this is just such a beautiful reflection of what music does, is bring people together in this way,” she continued. “And I’m just inspired by all of you in this community, and I love Los Angeles very much.”

Abrams then sang “A Long December” by Counting Crows, a song she called a “love letter to L.A.”

There’s our second Led Zeppelin song of the night.

Black Crowes lead singer Christopher Robinson brought out Slash, the guitar god from Guns N’ Roses, to do a rendition of “Going to California.”

That follows on Pink performing “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” earlier.

The Black Crowes took the stage at the Kia Forum with “Remedy.” When they finished the song, they invited John Fogerty to join for a performance of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” a song by Fogerty’s band, Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Good thing L.A. did finally see the rain last week.

Looking at the scheduled set list, it looks like many artists are still on deck to perform.

Among them: Gracie Abrams, Billie Eilish (her own set), Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Jelly Roll, Peso Pluma, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Tate McRae, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt and Stevie Nicks.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, have been spotted at the concert, according to various social media posts.

Harris, formerly a senator representing California, met with volunteers in Los Angeles last week almost immediately after she left office upon President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Harris later posted to X:

Earth, Wind & Fire is onstage, and it’s hitting all of the classics.

Kicking off set with “That’s the Way of the World,” the group transitioned into “Shining Star” and then “September” as it sparkles in glittering black attire.

Following John Mayer’s performance, Quinta Brunson appeared onstage to give a shoutout to educators who have been affected by the destruction.

The fires have “taken an immeasurable toll on our children, parents and the people with one of the most important and toughest jobs in the world: teachers,” the “Abbott Elementary” star said as she welcomed one to the stage.

Glendale High School math teacher Aurora Barboza Flores told the audience she took 21 years to save for the down payment on her dream home — a home that’s now gone.

“The destruction of the fire in Altadena made it look like a war zone. Power lines down, homes and cars burned,” she said. “Everything was gone, but I did manage to find one thing: a dish that I used to keep my jewelry in. It had an inscription which reads, ‘I think I’ll just be happy today.’ Sometimes that’s all we can do, even though it’s hard.”

John Mayer, who lives in L.A., discussed the “dream” it is to live in the city ahead of a cover of “Free Fallin'” by Tom Petty.

“For those whose dreams are broken, for those whose dreams have not, we will get together tonight and many other nights to make sure those dreams are repaired,” Mayer said.

John Mayer sang an acoustic version of his hit “Neon.”

“It’s an honor to be here tonight, thank you,” he said before he played his next song, “Gravity.”

Mayer was supposed to perform alongside Dave Matthews, who earlier today announced he had to drop out of the event because of a family emergency.

The performers have just about entirely avoided any mention of politics, with even Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong offering a message of unity.

Rod Stewart might, might, have nodded at it when he introduced “People Get Ready,” by the Impressions, as a song harking back to the Civil Rights Movement.

“This next song was written during these civil uprising in the 1960s,” Stewart said. “And I think this one is apropos for this evening.”

Pink added another topical jab in introducing the next artist: “Ladies and gentlemen and every other gender that absolutely exists, I give you John Mayer!”

Rock legend Rod Stewart opened the show at the Intuit Dome after he was introduced by Samuel L. Jackson, his former neighbor.

The British singer, who lived in L.A. for 50 years, sang his classics “Forever Young,” “Maggie May” and “People Get Ready.”

Concert No. 2 is officially underway. Samuel L. Jackson announced its start at the Intuit Dome.

“This concert is so big we had to fill two arenas,” Jackson said to a screaming crowd.

“We’re all here to watch some incredible music and hold each other up. The fires were devastating, but the firefighters … saved so many lives and so many homes. We got hundreds of first responders here in the house. Let’s give them a huge round of applause,” he continued, noting that “even though they fought for us, some of them lost their homes.”

Jackson then invited a Pasadena firefighter of 18 years and his family onstage. The family had to evacuate from the Eaton Fire, which eventually engulfed their home.

Dressed in all black and a wide-brimmed hat, Pink began her set with “What About Us.”

“If you’re hurting, I’m hurting with you. My heart is with you,” Pink said, addressing the crowd. “I’m going to keep my feet on the ground tonight. And I’m going to sing a couple of songs that bring me comfort. And I hope that they do the same for you all.”

She then performed “Me and Bobby McGee,” which Janis Joplin made famous.

Stephen Stills sang the hit song “For What It’s Worth,” which was made famous in the ’60s with Stills’ band Buffalo Springfield, alongside Mike Campbell from Tom Petty’s band The Heartbreakers.

But then the crowd went wild when Stills’ former bandmate Graham Nash took the stage to perform “Teach Your Children” alongside the band Dawes.

“There’s a very large community here in Los Angeles, made up of many, many musicians,” Nash said before he launched into the song. “And whenever Los Angeles gets into trouble, the musicians are right there. And I’m proud to be one of them.”

Five members of the Williams family from Altadena lost a total of four homes in the Eaton fire and are now struggling to find housing, Eshele Williams shared onstage. 

“We grabbed what we could, pitchers, our grandmother’s special clock,” she said. “We collected our father’s ashes and his flag from serving in the military.”

The families have had ties to Altadena for generations, stretching back to 1948, she said.

“We love our community, and right now we are all grieving immense loss, but there is a sign in the ruins at my mother’s home,” she added. “Everything was destroyed except her front door. It stands at this hour.”

The family introduced the band Dawes.

The iconic Joni Mitchell sang her famous song “Both Sides Now” off her album “Clouds” from 1969.

Mitchell, who is 81, sat in a beautifully adorned gold and white thronelike chair and wore her signature sunglasses. The crowd erupted into cheers as she sang her famous lyrics into a fitting golden microphone.

In a video tribute to the first responders who helped fight the L.A. fires, firefighter explained what it is like to be on the ground fighting the fires head-on.

David Francis said firefighters are “people who have a heart to give service” back to the community and to help you. He also called out the Los Angeles Police Department and the National Guard, which played a role in containing the numerous wildfires, as well.

“Thank them, too,” Francis said.

After he joined Anderson .Paak onstage, Dr. Dre performed a bit of “Still D.R.E.,” voiced his appreciation for first responders and firefighters and launched into Tupac Shakur’s “California Love.”

The incomparable Sheila E. surprised audiences when she took the stage with Anderson .Paak to perform his hit “Put Me Thru.”

Sheila E. is a legendary drummer best known for working with the late Prince. The two also dated and were briefly engaged in the ’80s. She had a purple cross on her drums as a tribute to the late singer.

Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals are up next, kicking off their set with “Put Me Thru.”

Billie Joe Armstrong introduced the performance, noting you can “hear California” in their music.

The screen behind Morissette featured what appeared to be a number of social media posts thanking first responders as she sang “Thank U.”

After an emotional tribute from Crystal, Alanis Morissette walked onstage in a glittering “I ❤️ LA” shirt, singing “Hand in My Pocket.”

“The connections that have been born from this tragedy [are] deeply heartwarming. And L.A. is a colorful, wild place,” Morissette said. “And when things get hard, we come together really hard. And I feel it.”

After she thanked first responders, she launched into her next song, “Thank U.”

Crystal kicked off FireAid by urging viewers to donate, mixing emotion and laughter with his personal story.

“You’ll be hearing from a number of people who were tragically affected by these fires, and I was one of them,” he said.

Crystal said that he was wearing the clothes he wore when he lost his home — and that he wore them for a week.

He said that when he arrived back at his home he fell to knees and wailed. But then, he said, his daughter came over to him and brought him a rock that said “laughter,” which reminded him in that moment that “even in your worst pain it’s OK to laugh.”

FireAid’s first major donation is from the rock band U2. Billy Crystal announced the group has donated $1 million.

Crystal reminded audiences that the donation is really $2 million for L.A., thanks to the matching effort from Steve and Connie Ballmer.

Green Day formed in Rodeo, California, which is north of where the fires wreaked havoc, closer to San Francisco. That didn’t stop the band from sharing its West Coast love at FireAid.

Tonight’s shows are taking place at two of the city’s most impressive venues: Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Kia Forum. Both are in Inglewood, just about a mile apart.

Green Day got things started at FireAid with big, beautiful letters behind the band spelling out “Los Angeles” on a screen.

Within the letters were pictures of the destruction the fires left in their wake, a reminder to audiences watching all over the world of the impact the tragedy has had on the city.  

“We’re still alive, this is California, and we’re all in this together. From the bottom of our hearts, we love you Los Angeles, and we got your back no matter what,” Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said before the band’s second song of the night, “Still Breathing.”

With a sharpish 10 p.m. ET kickoff, Green Day is opening the show with “Last Night on Earth,” with an appearance from Billie Eilish.

The concert officially kicks off in less than five minutes.

FireAid merch — which includes a line of hoodies, headwear and posters — is now available online and will be ready for purchase during the shows tonight.

Graham Nash and Stephen Stills will be at tonight’s concert — and may even perform together.

Nash and Stills, classic rock legends in their own right, are best known for their work in Crosby, Stills & Nash, a folk rock supergroup (that also sometimes included Neil Young).

“How fortunate to get to spend some time with my great friend Stephen last night during rehearsals for @fireaidla,” Nash posted on Instagram. “Tonight we’ll be sharing a stage together again. All for a really good cause.”

No Doubt, led by Gwen Stefani, will have a rare reunion onstage at FireAid.

The group, which formed in 1986 and released six albums throughout its time together, last performed together at Coachella last year. The members of the band are Stefani, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal and Adrian Young.

The group shared a few images on Instagram of what looks like their rehearsal for the benefit at the Kia Forum.

From the FireAid red carpet, members of Green Day said they are ready to “show community and that we are all in this together at this point” ahead of the behemoth benefit concert.

The band said its involvement is “a very small gesture on our part” after so many have lost so much.

It said they it is going to play its song “Last Night on Earth” at the request of event organizers, who used it in a social media post of damage sustained in the fires.

“It just resonated with us so hard and with the producers, it resonated with them, too,” the band said.

Each artist is expected to perform two to four songs, co-organizer Irving Azoff told The Wrap.

Azoff also teased some surprises but didn’t go into detail.

Los Angeles-based folk rock band Dawes is encouraging its fans to tune into tonight’s concert, in which it’ll be part of the lineup.

Brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, who started the band in 2007, lost their homes in the wildfires this month, according to Rolling Stone.

“Let’s enjoy each other’s company tonight ❤️” the band wrote on social media.

The goal of FireAid is to raise as much money as possible, with organizers expecting to rake in millions for fire relief efforts.

According to the FireAid website, donations “will be distributed under the advisement of the Annenberg Foundation,” an L.A.-based organization that provides funding and support for nonprofit organizations. The money “will be distributed for short-term relief efforts and long-term initiatives to prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California,” FireAid’s website says.

In addition to ticket sales, organizers expect to raise money from donations made by those who are watching the live feed at home. Throughout the broadcast, a link to FireAidLA.org will be up on the screen, encouraging people to contribute.

NBC News also reported on ways you can most effectively help the city’s recovery efforts.

Read the full story here

Joel Gallen, of the Los Angeles-based production company Tenth Planet, has produced many benefits, including “America: A Tribute to Heroes” after 9/11 and similar programs after Hurricane Katrina, according to The Associated Press. 

Tonight, he is FireAid’s executive producer. In an interview with the AP, Gallen said viewers can expect to see “one of the best shows ever televised.”

In addition to the slew of performances, Gallen said, there will also be several speakers and a mix of celebrities and noncelebrities, including people who lost their homes in the fires.

The official Instagram account for tonight’s benefit, @fireaidla, is teasing a look at the behind-the-scenes happenings and rehearsals before it goes live in just under an hour.

One clip featured a video of Rod Stewart offstage during rehearsals. Others included personal messages from Katy Perry and Graham Nash.

Tickets for both concerts were available beginning Jan. 22 on Ticketmaster for $99.

In a post promoting the benefit, “California Girl” Katy Perry, one of tonight’s many performers, said she’s “truly inspired by my community’s activism,” referring to the Los Angeles area’s solidarity in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires.

“So grateful to contribute in my own way,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing how people can donate or buy tickets.

Perry is expected to hit the road in the United States in May for her Lifetimes Tour.

Irving and Shelli Azoff, who are co-hosting the concert in conjunction with other powerful partners, helped pull together the star-studded concert in a span of about 12 days.

Irving Azoff, former CEO of Ticketmaster and a giant in the music industry, told The Wrap that he and fellow organizers managed to wrangle 25 streaming partners for tonight’s concert — which is why it’ll seemingly be available everywhere online.

“I haven’t slept in two weeks,” he said in the interview.

This event is being produced by music mogul Irving Azoff and his wife, Shelli, in conjunction with Live Nation and the Los Angeles Clippers, according to the FireAid website. 

“When it became obvious that there was going to be a need, I think we were just trying to commiserate. ‘What can we do?’ And Shelli said we should do all we know how to do. We should do the show,” Irving Azoff told The Associated Press. “Gillian Zucker, the CEO of the Clippers organization, and Shelli were on the phone a few minutes later. And here we are.”

Zucker told the AP that Shelli began efforts to spearhead the event on Jan. 9, about 48 hours after the fires started. That’s when she offered the Clippers’ arena as a venue.

Music mogul Irving Azoff, among those who spearheaded the event, told the AP that “there are at least 2,000 seats going to first responders, firemen, policemen and people that have lost their homes.”

Some corporate sponsors will provide seats to those who lost their homes, as well, he told the news service.

Philanthropists Connie and Steve Ballmer, who are among tonight’s event organizers, will match every donation made during tonight’s concert, FireAid announced.

“That means 2X the impact for those affected by the fires in SoCal,” FireAIDLA wrote on social media.

That’s on top of the $15 million the Ballmers had already pledged in emergency funding two weeks ago.

Steve Ballmer owns the Los Angeles Clippers, the NBA team that normally plays at the Intuit Dome. Tonight the arena is one of two venues for the benefit.

Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted on Jan. 7 and roared across the Los Angeles area, killing at least 29 people, including some who died trying to prevent the fires from engulfing their homes, and destroying thousands of structures.

The Palisades Fire erupted the morning of Jan. 7 in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood east of Malibu, as a brush fire. The blaze, which had grown to 23,448 acres, was 95% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. Cal Fire said the fire damaged or destroyed more than 6,800 structures.

The Eaton Fire ignited hours after the Palisades Fire near a canyon in the sprawling national forest lands north of downtown Los Angeles. It had exploded to 14,021 acres and was 99% contained, according to Cal Fire. The agency has reported that 9,418 structures were damaged or destroyed in the blaze.

The Hughes Fire began near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County the morning of Jan. 22 and quickly grew to over 10,000 acres. It had covered 10,425 acres and was 98% contained by Monday night.

Read the full story here.

Because of a “critical illness in the family,” Dave Matthews is no longer performing at the FireAid benefit, the Dave Matthews Band said in an Instagram post yesterday.

No other details were provided, and it was not immediately clear what kind of illness was being referred to.

Matthews had been scheduled to perform alongside John Mayer.

The performances will kick off at 7 p.m. PT from the Kia Forum, according to organizers.

Organizers told The Associated Press that once both shows have begun, the presentation will “cut back and forth: a live performance and then one broadcast on the screens.”

Then “there’s never a dull moment,” executive producer Joel Gallen told the AP. “There’s no ‘let’s stop and watch them change the stage for 10 minutes.’”

At the Kia Forum, expect to see: Alanis Morissette, Anderson .Paak, John Mayer, Dawes, Graham Nash, Green Day, John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell, No Doubt, Pink, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks and The Black Crowes.

The benefit concert isn’t just for Angelenos. Organizers partnered with various streaming services so fans at home can watch the show, as well.

You can stream it on: Apple Music and the Apple TV app, Max, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Netflix/Tudum, Paramount+, Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM on “LIFE with John Mayer,” SoundCloud, Veeps and YouTube.

AMC Theatres also announced selected locations in 70 U.S. markets will have screenings of the event. The movie chain said, “FireAid is producing a centralized feed, which will include performances from both venues.” Guests are being encouraged to sing and dance to the concert film event.