FireAid Benefit Concert LIVE Updates: Benefit for LA fires; celebrities performing; what we know so far
Some of music’s biggest names have united for FireAid, a benefit concert for Los Angeles-area wildfire relief, to help the city recover from these natural disasters.
Stars including Lady Gaga, Joni Mitchell and Katy Perry performed across two stages in California, with the hopes to raise funds for the tens of thousands of LA locals affected by the fires.
There were plenty of big moments throughout the event. Actor and comedian Billy Crystal took to the stage in the clothes he wore as he fled his home with his wife; Stevie Wonder was joined by Sting and guitarist Flea for an epic trio, and Pink delivered an emotional performance that silenced the stadium.
Here are all the key moments from FireAid as they happened.
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Going Gaga
Closing out the night, iIt’s Lady Gaga!
The multi-award-winning singer started in epic fashion with two songs from her movie A Star Is Born: Shallow and Always Remember Us This Way.
She then debuted a new song she wrote “just for tonight” with her fiancé Michael Polansky.
“When I was thinking about what to sing tonight, I thought I wanted to do something hopeful for you, and I was thinking about my songs, and there wasn’t anything that seemed quite right,” she said.
A fabulous final act
The final acts of the night are taking to the stage.
Olivia Rodrigo – introduced to the crowd by actor Miles Teller, who lost his home in the fire – performed her ballads drivers license and deja vu. She said the latter had been written about her life growing up in Los Angeles.
“It has been so heartbreaking to witness all of this devastation in this incredible city,” she said.
“I love LA so much. I’ve lived here my whole life. I love everybody who lives in LA.”
Rodrigo, in turn, welcomed Sting to the stage.
The music legend kicked off his set with Message In A Bottle, sounding as good as ever.
Billie Eilish returned to the stage with brother Finneas, the duo captivating the audience with their acoustic set, before introducing Stevie Wonder to the stage.
Wonder kicked things off with Superstitious, before he was joined by Sting and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist Flea for a rousing performance of Higher Ground.
Three words get the crowd going
Sometimes I feel like my only friend / Is the city I live in, The City of Angels
Los Angeles legends the Red Hot Chili Peppers were always going to get a raucous response from their fellow Angelenos, but they well and truly delivered.
As they closed their set with their iconic hit Under the Bridge, three words from frontman Anthony Kiedis’ mouth – ‘City of Angels’, in reference to LA – drew a roar.
“Los Angeles is our home, we f—ing love you,” bassist Flea declared during the performance.
A theme emerges
California is getting a lot of lyrical love as artists come and go on the stage.
Between the Red Hot Chili Peppers rocking out to Californication and Dani California, Katy Perry getting the crowd bopping with California Gurls and Dr Dre bringing all the nostalgia with California Love, America’s sunshine state is clearly the musical star of the show.
‘Almost taken from me’: Stevie Nicks’ near-miss
She’s as iconic as ever.
Stevie Nicks took the audience on an emotional ride, from her electrifying rendition of Edge of Seventeen to the heart-wrenching Landslide, which she dedicated to LA’s firefighters.
The Fleetwood Mac legend also reflected on the moment she was evacuated from her beloved home, facing the harrowing prospect of losing it forever, as the fires burned.
“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,” she said.
“I was pretty sure, as they whisked me away and evacuated me – my least favourite word now – to another safe place, that when I turned around and looked my house would be up in flames.
“And due to the fact my house was wood, because it was built in ’38, it would have set the rest of the street on both sides on fire.”
But the house “stands strong, just like her mum. And in my opinion, she saved that whole street.”
Famous faces in the crowd
It’s not just the stage that’s been graced by famous faces.
Former US vice president Kamala Harris and husband Doug Emhoff were “grateful” to attend the concert and support their hometown.
”It is a wonderful night that shows the strength and resilience of our city as we begin to recover and rebuild from the devastating wildfires,” Emhoff wrote on Instagram.
Actresses Jessica Alba and Julianne Hough are also in attendance.
The sound of home
For Aussies watching the concert from the other side of the world, there’s been a nice surprise in the lineup.
Tate McRae performed You Broke Me First and said it was an “honour” for her to be performing at the event and that Los Angeles was her “home”.
The pop star then brought a touch of Aussie music to the set, singing a cover of Australian-New Zealand band Crowded House’s iconic hit Don’t Dream It’s Over.
Celebrities who have lost their homes in LA’s fires
Shortly after, musician Jelly Roll took to the stage to perform his hit single, I Am Not Okay.
He brought out Blink-182 rocker Travis Barker to play the drums during his set.
Gwen Stefani reunites with No Doubt
Gwen Stefani thrilled fans as she reunited on stage with her No Doubt bandmates.
The group, which was founded in California in the ’80s, performed hits including Don’t Speak and Just A Girl to cheers from the crowd.
“Get your hands up in the air!” Stefani screamed to crowds in between songs.
She and the band put on a lively performance and got fans in the crowd dancing.
Who has performed so far?
Time for another recap of all the A-listers and iconic stars that have performed for the relief concert across two stadiums; the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum.
John Fogerty is currently performing.
We’ve also seen The Black Crowes, Earth, Wind & Fire, John Mayer, Rod Stewart, P!nk, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Mike Campbell, Dawes, Joni Mitchell, Anderson .Paak, Alanis Morissette and Green Day.
Surprise guests Billie Eilish, Dr. Dre and Samuel L. Jackson have also made an appearance.
Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and Red Hot Chili Peppers are some of the artists yet to perform. Stay tuned!
Rod Stewart’s heartwarming tribute to LA
Dressed in a zebra print jacket and matching shirt, British rock and pop singer Sir Rod Stewart has made a heartwarming tribute to Los Angeles.
“I don’t know what a British person is doing on stage tonight but I lived here for 50 years,” he told the crowd.
“So this Los Angeles, California, is my blood, is in my soul and in my heart.”
Moving on with his performance, Stewart said: “Here is a new song. Not.”
Stewart is performing his hit song Maggie May, which was first released in 1971.
The 80-year-old won’t be at too many performances after he embarks on his One More Time world tour this year.
He shared that it will be “the end of large-scale world tours for me”.
Crowd quiets during P!nk’s solemn and intimate performance
The crowd has quieted to hear P!nk perform a solemn and intimate version of her hit song What About Us.
She was dressed in all black and sung with a sole guitarist on stage.
The silence that was held over the stadium broke as she wrapped up the song and the crowd erupted in applause.
Speaking to the audience, P!nk said she was grateful of their generosity.
“If you’re hurting, I’m hurting with you, my heart is with you,” she said.
In a cheeky nod to her in-air tricks and stunts at her concerts, she said she will be keeping her feet on the ground tonight.
“I’m going to sing a couple of songs that bring me comfort and I hope they do the same for you all,” she said.
Mandy Moore’s husband takes to the stage after losing home
More and more artists have taken to the stage, the most recent being Dawes led by brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith.
Taylor is married to actor and singer Mandy Moore and, together, the pair lost their home shortly after the wildfires first broke out earlier this month.
“This is Altadena. Leveled. My sweet home. I am devastated and gutted for those of us who’ve lost so much. I’m absolutely numb,” Moore posted to Instagram.
Moore was grateful her family and pets were able to flee to safety but shared her heartbreak over losing her home.
“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family,” she posted to Instagram.
“My children’s school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too.
“Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together. Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control.”
Joni Mitchell performs seated
Iconic singer Joni Mitchell is singing her song Both Sides Now seated in a throne-like chair.
She is dressed in a black and gold-embellished pant and top ensemble.
Many didn’t expect her to perform again after she suffered a near-fatal aneurism in 2015.
She performed her first headline concert in more than 20 years at Gorge Amphitheater in Washington in 2023.
She was joined by a series of guests including Annie Lennox, Sarah McLachlan, Marcus Mumford and Wynonna Judd.
Hollywood’s biggest artists take to the stage
Time for a quick roll call. So far, we’ve heard Green Day, Billie Eilish, Alanis Morissette and Anderson Paak perform.
Paak was joined on stage by surprise guest Dr. Dre.
The pair had the crowd on their feet as they performed Dr Dre’s Still D.R.E and Tupac Shakur’s California Love.
Canadian-American singer Joni Mitchell is now performing seated on a white and gold regal chair.
U2 makes first major donation of $1 million
Rock band U2 has made the first major donation of $1 million.
Each donation will be matched by former Microsoft chief executive Steve and Ballmer and his wife Connie, meaning so far at least $2 million has been raised.
All funds raised from FireAid will go to Annenberg Foundation, which will distribute the money to rebuild the community and prevent future fire disasters in Southern California.
Since January 7, at least 29 people have died from the devastating wildfires.
More than 100,000 people were forced to evacuate and more than 10,000 structures were destroyed. Three fires remain active.
‘I fell to my knees’: Billy Crystal recalls losing home to wildfires
Actor and comedian Billy Crystal is speaking at FireAid, recalling the moment he fled from the destructive wildfires that tore through Southern California this month.
“These are the clothes I wore as I fled my house with my wife Janice,” he said.
After the fire moved on, Crystal returned to find his home completely destroyed.
“I stepped to the ground and I fell to my knees,” he said.”I had not cried liked that since I was 15 years old and my father had just died.”
Despite his devastating loss, Crystal ended his speech with a message of hope.
He said he believes Los Angeles will be able to recover.
Green Day and Billie Eillish open FireAid
Green Day has opened the FireAid relief concert at the Kia Forum singing Last Night on Earth. Cheers erupted as Billie Eilish joined the rock band on stage.
“We are still alive. This is California,” Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong told the crowd.
“We love you Los Angeles and we’ve got your back no matter what.”
Fire Aid concert lineup
The FireAid line-up includes massive artists like Sting, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Other big names including Joni Mitchell, Lil Baby, Pink, Rod Stewart, Gwen Stefani, Green Day, Jelly Roll, Gracie Abrams, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks, Tate McRae and Earth, Wind & Fire will also perform.
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Katy Perry and her ex John Mayer will also both be taking to the stage.
Mayer was supposed to perform with Dave Matthews, the stars slated to play live together for the first time, however a “critical illness in the family” forced Matthews to pull out.
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When and where is FireAid being held?
FireAid is being hosted at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California and the adjacent Kia Forum on January 30 (US time).
Those who can’t attend the concert in person will be able to watch at home on Apple Music, Apple TV, Max, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Netflix/Tudum, Paramount+, Prime Video, the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM, Spotify, SoundCloud, Veeps and YouTube.
US residents will also be able to watch at select AMC Theatre locations across the country.
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