Pollstar Live! Keynote Discussion Confirmed: The Story Behind FireAid LA

In a Pollstar Live! exclusive, FireAid LA organizers — including Shelli, Irving and the Azoff family; Geni Lincoln of Live Nation; Gillian Zucker of the LA Clippers and more — will gather to discuss the remarkable series of events that led to staging the two historic concerts that raised more than $100 million for wildfire relief efforts and the astonishing generosity that made it all possible.

Inglewood, California’s Kia Forum and Intuit Dome hosted dual concerts on Jan. 30 featuring more than 30 performers in a six-hour-plus event streamed around the world to more than 50 million viewers. The Intuit Dome lineup included Billie Eilish; Earth, Wind & Fire; Gracie Abrams; Jelly Roll; Katy Perry; Lady Gaga; Lil Baby; Olivia Rodrigo; Peso Pluma; Rod Stewart; Stevie Wonder; Sting and Tate McRae. Alanis Morissette, Anderson. Paak, Dave Matthews and John Mayer, Dawes, Graham Nash, Green Day, John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell, No Doubt, P!nk, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks and The Black Crowes took the stage at the Kia Forum. That’s not to mention the surprise guests including a reunion of Nirvana’s Pat Smear, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic performing with St. Vincent, Kim Gordon, Joan Jett and Violet Grohl.

The $100 million raised by FireAid includes ticket sales, sponsorships, merchandise sales and donations from the public including private gifts from the Azoff family, the Eagles, Andrew Hauptman and Ellen Bronfman Hauptman, and U2. Operating costs were offset by the LA Clippers and Clippers’ owner Steve and Connie Ballmer also matched every pledge made during the broadcast and video on-demand viewing of FireAid. Live Nation served as the production partner.

In February the first half of the grants were distributed for immediate relief for victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. An announcement explained that the grants were “allocated to support a myriad of fire affected individuals including displaced residents, workers, small business owners and first responders, with a focus on essential services, food assistance, childcare support, critical healthcare resources, housing support, rental relief, student assistance programs, and navigation services to ensure victims can access legal resources, government benefits and seamlessly work through challenging paperwork. … Phase two funding will focus on additional relief needs including sustaining long-term recovery, remediation and rebuilding, and further address environmental issues.”

Pollstar Live!, the world’s largest gathering of live entertainment professionals, will take place April 15-17 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. As previously announced, the conference was pushed back to April from its original dates in February to ensure that the conference does not distract critical resources in Los Angeles following the devastating wildfires so that the focus can remain on rebuilding efforts. The three-day conference is the flagship event for Pollstar and offers engaging discussions and keynote conversations led by the top visionaries and executives in the live business along with plenty of networking opportunities.

Pollstar Live! starts with Production Live!, the one-day companion conference that features insightful panels and discussions from industry professionals on all topics related to putting on live events including lighting, video, concert production and more.

The Pollstar Live! schedule will include artist Q&As, interactive industry “Town Halls” and more industry topics and issue-related content than ever before, including genre-specific analyses and sector-oriented drill downs for talent buyers, festivals, venues, promoters, agents, marketers, ticketers, tech, casinos, merchandisers, branding specialists, safety/security professionals and international event producers. Among the topics addressed are Are We in a Market Correction?, Rock Is Back!, South Asian Artists & Markets: Is it a Niche or a Trend?, and State of Mid-Level & Boutique Festivals.

Production Live! will once again seek to facilitate engagement between the primary industry of tour planners, managers, agents and promoters, with the highly-skilled road teams tasked with executing the artist’s vision on the stage. Topics include National Tour Deals vs. Market-By-Market: What It Means for Production Teams, Best Laid Plans: Reconciling Touring Ambition with Reality, DAY-OF-SHOW: Who Has Their Sh*t Together (AND Who Doesn’t)?, and Staying Mentally, Physically and Financially Healthy on the Road, as well as the return of the popular Tour Managers Roundtable: Ask Us Anything!

Previously confirmed speakers include WME’s Josh Kurfirst and Brett Schaffer, CAA’s Matt Schultz, Danny Wimmer Presents’ Chamie McCurry and Del Williams, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’ Sheri Sternberg, Paladin Artists’ Bruce Solar, AEG Presents’ Rich Schaefer, Annie Flook of Propeller, Mollie Lehman of Chorus, Meredith Peters of Laylo, Aaron Summer of Mick Management, MusiCares’ Wade Johnson, Backline’s Hilary Gleason, Recovery Unplugged’s Jason Cabello, Life’s Jam’s Rachael Bronstein, C3 Presents’ Bryan Benson, Dreamliner’s Rich Thomson, Oak View Group’s Ray Waddell, Pioneer Coach’s Wayne Linder, Life Jam’s Rachael Bronstein, UTA’s Mike G and Eddie Clemens, Messina Touring Group’s Meesha Kosciolek and Kara Smoak, Houston Productions’ Kell Houston, Arrival Artists’ Erik Selz, MGM Resorts International’s Paul Davis, 313 Presents’ Sarah Zawalski, Harris Blitzer Sports And Entertainment’s Sean Saadeh, Wayne Forte of Entourage Talent Associates, LTD, Randy Nichols of Fly South Music / Force Media Management, Steve Schenck of TKO, Stephen Parker of National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), Megan Stoll of Duck Club Entertainment, Julie Black of Premier Aviation, David Kiely of Roadshow Services, Mark Larson of Beat The Street, Wayne Linder of Pioneer Coach, Inc., Rich Thomson of Dreamliner Luxury Coaches, and Wasserman Music’s Lee Anderson, Kiely Mosiman and Lenore Kinder.

Stay tuned for more announcements and 2025 speakers.

Pollstar Live! also includes the 36th annual Pollstar Awards celebrating the live entertainment industry’s most innovative artists, venues, companies, tours and executives.

The most recent Pollstar Awards show was held at the iconic Wiltern in Los Angeles and was hosted by comedian, author and actor Tom Papa.

Pollstar Live! 2025 is presented by Lockton and Ticketmaster.

Visit https://www.pollstar.live/ for more information and to register for Pollstar Live!

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