Billie Eilish, Green Day, Joni Mitchell Shine at LA Benefit

FireAid delivered a five-and-half-hour love letter to Los Angeles on Thursday night, bringing together nearly 30 of the biggest superstars of the past fifty years for a much-needed musical catharsis following devastating, destructive wildfires in the city.

The show was expectedly ambitious. With so many artists for just one event, organizers set the concert simultaneously at the famed Kia Forum and the newer Intuit Dome one mile down the street. Fittingly, most of the classic rock acts played the Forum while the more contemporary pop stars played the newer venue. 

The result was nothing short of an overwhelming level of talent and iconic performances, one after the next. Within the first hour, Joni Mitchell brought much of the Forum to tears — and generated ear-to-ear smiles. P!nk dropped jaws covering Led Zeppelin, and Stephen Stills and Graham Nash reunited for the first time in a decade. Two hours later, No Doubt and Nirvana had reunited. 

Perhaps as impressive as the performances themselves was FireAid’s ability to showcase the humanity of the disaster, highlighting the everyday stories of Angelenos dealing with the devastation however they can, as well as the heroism of the responders who helped douse the fires. A teacher spoke of losing the Altadena dream home she spent 20 years saving up for. A 10-year-old boy recalled losing the only home he’s ever had. 

Attendees’ eyes welled up as Billy Crystal took the stage in the very clothes he wore the night his Palisades home went up in flames. He spoke about exploring the wreckage, recovering the lone artifact that survived: an engraved rock that read “laughter.”

“I stepped onto the grounds and I fell to my knees and I wailed, and I hadn’t cried like that since I was 15 years old and I was told that my father had just died,” Crystal said. “Then I heard screams from my daughters, they brought over this rock from our burnt out garden. The one in my hands [said] ‘laughter.’ I knew at that moment, even in your worst pain, it’s OK and it’s important to laugh.”

Editor’s picks

The evening had no shortage of iconic moments, get a recap on some of our favorites below:

Forum: Billie and Billie Share the Stage 
The night started with a bang as Billie Eilish joined Green Day for the band’s first song, a duet of “Last Night on Earth.” The surprise performance set an expectation for the rest of the night that anything could happen. Green Day, led by Billie Joe Armstrong, kept the vibes positive, following the duet with an uplifting “Still Breathing” and a high-energy “When I Come Around.” -E.M.

Forum: Anderson .Paak Enlists Dr. Dre For Some California Love
Anderson .Paak was a no-brainer for this show given his deep ties to Los Angeles. All of his albums, after all, are named after SoCal towns. With Sheila E. on stage for the whole performance, his set hit another level when .Paak brought his label head Dr. Dre on stage for “Still D.R.E” and “California Love.” It was about as L.A. as it gets. -E.M.

Forum: Dawes Are Still Standing
No artist on stage last night knew better about the toll these fires have had on Los Angeles quite like Dawes given that lead singer Taylor Goldsmith lost his home at the beginning of the month. Their performance of “Time Spent in Los Angeles” was backdropped by famous L.A. landmarks and local beloved spots, reminding us Angelenos what’s still left. -E.M.

Forum: P!nk Lets the Led Out
P!nk gave perhaps the standout performance of the whole night, playing “What About Us” before heading into impressive covers of “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.” She’s right at home emulating Robert Plant’s screeches and whispers. -E.M.

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Forum: Crowes Bring Out the Stars
The Black Crowes kicked off their set with a high-energy performance of 1992 hit “Remedy,” but the best of their performance came after, when they brought out John Fogerty on “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.” Equally moving was a stripped-down cover of Zeppelin’s “Going to California” with some help from Slash. They did Zeppelin’s most beautiful song proud. -E.M.

Forum: Joni Mitchell Reduces the Crowd to Puddles of Tears 
Joni Mitchell was on stage at her throne for just 10 seconds before some of the crowd started crying as she began her moving performance of “Both Sides Now.” A song about the complexities of life was the perfect track for the evening, and it was equally moving seeing a figure so critical to Los Angeles culture on stage, still shining. -E.M.

Forum: Stevie Nicks Tributes the Firefighters Who Saved Her House
Some in the crowd wondered if “Landslide” would be a good fit for the night given the fears L.A. had about mudslides just last weekend as rain came pouring down on the freshly-ashen hills. Any of those thoughts quickly went away as Nicks spoke of the firefighters who saved her home from certain devastation this month. 

“There is a god and that god saved that house with me, because without her I don’t know what I would’ve done,” Nicks said. “The reason it got saved was a team of Santa Rosa firefighters that saved [the house]. They never gave up. I’d like to dedicate this next song to all of those firefighters. Until you see what happens, you can’t believe the bravery of these men.”

Some snow-covered hills sound very welcome in L.A. right now. – E.M.

Forum: Chili Peppers Rep the City
There’s no band more L.A. than the Red Hot Chili Peppers, making them the perfect fit to close out the Forum section of the night. Finishing their set with “Under the Bridge,” the sound of the city was on full display. Seeing Flea jumping half naked on stage never gets old either. – E.M.

Intuit: Rise and Roar
Backed by a Pasadena choir, Katy Perry performed “Rise,” the deepcut she released for the 2016 Olympics. She transitioned into her Prism anthem “Roar,” as she asked the crowd, “Can we keep this energy forever? This is what makes us humans,” she said. “This is what separates us from the robots.” She closed her set with a the fitting “California Gurls” as she waved around the California flag and got the crowd jumping. – T.M.

Intuit: A Sibling Duet
Billie Eilish and Finneas introduced an acoustic version of “Wildflower,” as she was supported by the dispersed crowd of fans who echoed her lyrics. “I love you, thank you for being so sweet,” said Eilish, whose publicist Alex Baker lost her home to the Altadena fire. Backed by the soft strums of Finneas’ guitar, Eilish continued with “The Greatest” as the crowd watched in awe. “It feels so hopeful and good in here. It’s a really scary time,” she said. “L.A. is my favorite place in the world and my only home.” Eilish ended the set with sweet energy as she closed with “Birds of a Feather.” – T.M.

Intuit: Serious Dad Vibes
While most of the acts on the Intuit stage skewed younger, there was a cohort of legends that were sprinkled in during the show.

Rod Stewart continued the dad pop-rock energy of Kia Forum as he opened the show at Intuit Dome, introduced by Samuel L. Jackson, who was joined by a Pasadena firefighter and his family, who lost their home. Stewart took the stage dressed in a chromatic zebra suit as he played classics “Forever Young” and  “Maggie Mae.”

“I lived here for 50 years, so L.A. is my blood in my soul and in my heart,” he said onstage.

Later in the show, Quinta Brunson brought out an Altadena math teacher named Aurora who lost her home and her community saying she found a poignant message in the ruins that read, “I think I’ll just be happy today.”’

Earth Wind and Fire” continued the ’70s energy with “Shining Star” as the group themselves shined in sparkly suits. And, of course, it wouldn’t be an Earth Wind Fire set without “September,” which got fans young and old to their feet.

Later in the night, introduced by Olivia Rodrigo, Sting took the stage with “Message in the Bottle” as the older crowd clapped along. – T.M.

Intuit: A Hint of Blink and Jelly
Jelly brought L.A. to Nashville with his rendition of “I’m Not OK” after telling the crowd, “I’m honored to play some country music at FireAid tonight.” He then shouted out Los Angeles and welcomed Blink-182’s Travis Barker as the surprise drummer for a rocky rendition of Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Nights.” – T.M. 

Intuit: New Era of Pop Delivers
The pop queen fans came to FireAid at Intuit Dome and made their presence known as Gracie Abrams performed “I Love You, I’m Sorry” with Aaron Dessner. “I grew up in the Palisades and my heart is with all of our neighbors,” Abrams said, thanking the firefighters. She then performed a cover Counting Crows’ “A Long December,” as a tribute to the city.

Later in the night, Tate McRae, dressed in a reconstructed windbreaker top, converted her song “You Broke Me First” into a ballad to kick off her set. “I’m so grateful to be part of this,” McRae said before performing an uneven cover of Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”

In a sparkly black outfit, Olivia Rodrigo opened with her breakthrough hit “Drivers License” as fans screamed the lyrics to the song’s infectious bridge. “It is so heartbreaking to see all this devastation in this incredible city,” Rodrigo said. “I find this place so beautiful and inspiring and I’ve written many songs about living here in my life.” She ended her set with “Deja Vu,” which sneaks in lyrics dedicated to California. The performance marked her return to the venue after headlining it twice last year. – T.M. 

Intuit: The President Who Could’ve Been
Early in the night, the Intuit Dome crowd erupted in cheers when they saw Kamala Harris take a seat in a private suite alongside her husband Doug Emhoff. While John Mayer played on the screens from the Forum, Harris — whose home was in the evacuation area — waved to the crowd, who stood up to acknowledge the former vice president. “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,” wrote Emhoff on X, with Harris adding: “Angelenos will continue to stand together to support those impacted by the wildfires and show gratitude for the first responders who help keep our communities safe.” – T.M.

Intuit: A Star Is Born
Lady Gaga or Ally Maine? The pop star embodied her Star is Born character to perfection as she took the stage close to 12:45 a.m. for renditions of “Shallow” and “Remember Us This Way” from her iconic film with Bradley Cooper, leaving behind any promo for her new LP, Mayhem.  “This has been a horrible scary time,” she said in between songs. “But during these times, I feel like people come together and we see how much we need each other. And I want to always remember us just like this.” Gaga then debut a hopeful new song “just for tonight,” co-written with her fiancé Michael Polansky, called “Time Is a Healer.” – T.M.

Intuit: Star-Studded Crowd
Some of the best musicians in the world graced the stage at FireAid, but celebrities of all sorts enjoyed the serenades from the audience. Backstage, Gayle King was seen snapping a photo with Katy Perry, while Sting took a photo with (*checks notes*) Shaggy. The event also featured a red carpet for A-list attendees, including Jessica Alba, Julianne Hough, and Alex Wolff, all getting photographed on a step-and-repeat. Spotify, one of the event’s sponsors, also hosted actors John Boyega and Storm Reid in their suite. Additionally, Miles Teller, Billy Crystal, and Quinta Brunson lent their voices as presenters during the event.