Daily Pulse

FireAid With Nirvana, Joni Mitchell, Dr. Dre, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga & More Bring The LA. Love, Raise Millions For City

Last night’s FireAid benefit concert was a sublime salve for a battered and bruised Los Angeles still reeling from the worst catastrophe in its modern history. Some 16,000 structures were decimated by wildfires taking an incalculable emotional and financial toll on hundreds of thousands of Angelenos. Tonight, though, the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome were transformed into warm hearths of music, empathy and copious amounts of L.A. love as artist performed amazing music reflecting this city’s rich, varied and deep musical legacy while raising tens of millions of dollars for the afflicted.

That this herculean task with some 28 acts performing for nearly six hours across two arenas was pulled off in a mere 23 days after the fires started on Jan. 7, (which weren’t fully contained until last weekend’s rain), is a testament to the know-how, hard work and dedication of the show’s producers led by the Azoff family, The Intuit Dome, Live Nation, AEG Presents, Joe Gallen and Rick Krim among others. To their credit, the night’s production was virtually seamless with widely varying and wondrous music played between two arenas broken up by highly-produced and engaging interstitial films featuring moving testimonials from heroic Angelenos, including those who lost homes, possessions and far more, as well as first responders.

Here, L.A.’s vast, multi-hued and glorious music history was on full display: Laurel-Canyon-associated legends like Joni Mitchell (“Both Sides Now” left everyone in tears), Graham Nash and Stephen Stills (wisely advising us to “teach your children well”) and Stevie Nicks (“Landslide” is so far beyond a classic); Compton’s own Dr. Dre performing “California Love,” the city’s real anthem, backed by musical genius polymath Anderson .Paak (shout out Oxnard/Ventura!). Sporting a “Koreatown” sweatshirt, .Paak brought a much-needed soul-funk-jazz-hip-hop amalgam to the night with his crack band Free Nationals and percussionist Sheila E;  Here, too, was Mexican superstar Peso Pluma performing “Le Bebe” representing the city’s massive Latino population.

Also repping L.A. in myriad ways, with what was easily one the evening’s most exhilarating performances, was three-fourths of Nirvana featuring OG L.A. punk rocker Pat Smear, of the city’s Ur punk band The Germs, the San Fernando Valley’s own Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic (who, it turns out, plays accordion). The group’s wise choice of four brilliant female guest singers/players/ballers to front the band’s searing dissonant punk skronk was spot-on: Kim Gordon (raised in L.A. and current Los Feliz resident), formerly of Sonic Youth, destroyed “School” in the best possible way; the glorious Joan Jett (and former Runaways trailblazer) rocked a fierce version of “Stay Away;” part-time L.A.’er St. Vincent led a raucous version of “Breed;” while Grohl’s daughter Violet nailed In Utero’s more tuneful “All Apologies.”

Other performance highlights included: The Black Crowes (singer Chris Robinson is a longtime L.A. resident) performing with Los Abgeles native son and 80’s Sunset Strip icon Slash who delivered a brilliant acoustic version of Zeppelin’s “Going to California.”  They weren’t the only ones paying homage to Zep, whose lore and connections to L.A. run deep (see the Riot House) as P!nk played homage with an equally great rendition of “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.”

More inspired pairings, included L.A. native Billie Eilish opening the show with Green Day on the latter’s “Last Night on Earth;” rock legend John Fogerty singing “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” with The Black Crowes; the great Dawes, who had two members who lost homes in Altadena, backing Stills, Nash and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers guitarist) on Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”—a song about the 1966 Sunset Strip riots which felt wildly apropos given today’s political climate.

Elsewhere, Jelly Roll’s foot-stomping rendition of Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Nights” with Travis Barker killing the drums was an epiphany; Tate McRae’s version of Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” was an inspired choice as was John Mayer’s cover of another contemporary L.A. classic, Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’”.

Iconic L.A hometown music heroes with deep ties to the city included Fairfax High’s Red Hot Chili Peppers, with City of Angels anthems like “Under The Bridge” and “Californication;” NextGen L.A. flag bearers Billie Eilish and Finneas, raised in Silver Lake, and whose exquisite songs are already classics; No Doubt, from the O.C., who elicited screams as they set up the Forum stage while music was still being performed at The Intuit Dome; the iconic legend that is Stevie Wonder (who also owns L.A.’s own KJLH radio) performing with Sting and RHCP’s Flea on “Higher Ground; and a poignant performance of “Rise” by SoCal poster child Katy Perry, with the Pasadena Chorale, a group that lost their Altadena Community Church in the fires. Perry also literally waved a California flag during her ebullient rendition of “California Gurls.”

Superstar performers like Lady Gaga (who wrote and performed a new song for the night) and Olivia Rodrigo felt like underplays despite FireAid being held in arenas; while up-and-comers like Gracie Abrams and Tate McRae more than proved they’re arena ready; and seeing stone cold legends like Rod Stewart, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sting and Alanis Morissette in one evening was a privilege.  

While it will take years for Los Angeles to fully recover from these catastrophic fires, last night’s FireAid benefit concert was a massive first step forward toward that goal and a perfect reminder of exactly what makes this city so incredible. to live in.

FIREAID Benefit Concert For California Fire Relief Kia Forum

Nirvana’s Pat Smear, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic perform with St. Vincent at the FireAid Benefit Concert for California Fire Relief at The Kia Forum on Jan. 30, 2025. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty for FIREAID)

FIREAID Benefit Concert For California Fire Relief Kia Forum
Joni Mitchell performing at FireAid FIREAID at The Kia Forum on Jan, 30, 2025. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for FIREAID)
FIREAID Benefit Concert For California Fire Relief Kia Forum

FREE Daily Pulse Subscribe