By Abigail Holliday
Staff Writer
Popular artists such as Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Gracie Abrams and many others performed at the FireAid Benefit Concert on Jan. 30 to raise money for the victims of the Los Angeles fires.
The concert was held at two separate venues, the Kia Forum and the Intuit Dome, in Inglewood, California. A few well known headliners at the Kia Forum were Stevie Nicks, Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The musicians headlining at the Intuit Dome included Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams, according to FOX 11.
According to Cal Fire, the Los Angeles fires began on Jan. 7. Over the course of the month, there were 337 wildfires, beginning in the Pacific Palisades as a brush fire and covering almost 58,000 acres. Evacuations were issued in all surrounding areas, resulting in 16,244 structures including homes, schools, libraries and religious buildings being burned down and destroyed. At least 29 people have died from these fires, and officials warned it could take weeks to fully process the damage.
The concert was announced three days after the fires began as an effort to raise money for those affected by the fires as well as relief aid. The event required two venues due to the amount of artists volunteering to perform, leading to some musicians even getting turned down due to the large number of people willing to help, according to the Associated Press.
Determined to make the concert a time of unity and support, memorable performances included a Nirvana reunion, a new song debut from Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre performing “California Love” and Katy Perry singing “California Girls” while proudly waving the California state flag across the stage.
Artists were also encouraged to share personal stories about how they were affected by the Los Angeles fires as a way to encourage people to donate. “When Harry Met Sally” actor Billy Crystal shared that he had lost the home that he had lived in for almost 50 years and had been wearing the clothes he had on when he was forced to evacuate, according to ABC7.
Stevie Nicks praised the Santa Rosa firefighters for saving her and her house from the fires. At least 2,000 seats were reserved for firefighters, police officers, first responders and those who have lost their homes due to the fires, according to the Associated Press.
FireAid raised over $60 million from both celebrity donations and people around the world donating to show support to the victims. Rock band U2 donated $1 million, Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer pledged to match all donations made during the show, and plenty of other big names such as Beyoncé, Doja Cat and The Weeknd have donated, according to ABC7. All donations made will be distributed by a committee under the Annenberg Foundation and given to the charities and funds after conducting research, according to the Associated Press.
Donations can be made in support of the victims of the Los Angeles fires by visiting fireaidla.org.
