Lady Gaga debuts a new song, Pink stands up for trans and nonbinary Americans, and all the FireAid highlights
A star-studded lineup of performers came together to help Los Angeles heal on Thursday night in FireAid, an epic six-hour benefit concert stretching across two venues to raise funds for wildfire relief, rebuilding, and fire prevention efforts.
The show began at the Kia Forum with an unexpected duet between Green Day and Billie Eilish on the band’s “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. Billy Crystal shared his own experience of losing his Palisades 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 OK and it’s important to laugh. … We’re Los Angeles, one city, one heart. L.A. strong!”
Crystal revealed that Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, whose team plays in the Intuit Dome (FireAid’s other venue), would match all donations made at FireAidLA.org during the show, including U2‘s $1 million pledge.
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, the evening featured icons like Alanis Morissette, Sting, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Joni Mitchell along with younger artists, including Gracie Abrams, Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, and Peso Pluma. Pink perfectly captured the old-new vibe by transitioning from her own “What About Us?” into a pair of cover songs that she said 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 also injected a defiant dose of politics into a concert where commentary on the second Donald Trump administration was otherwise left as subtext. 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 St. Vincent, Gordon, Jett, 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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