LOS ANGELES (AP) — Green Day kicked off the massive FireAid benefit concert Thursday night, a two-venue concert extravaganza that is raising money for Los Angeles-area wildfire relief efforts.
They launched into “Last Night on Earth," and were soon joined by Billie Eilish for the first surprise of the night. The lyrics are surprisingly astute: “If I lose everything in the fire / I’m sending all my love to you.”
After their set, Green Day frontman Billy Joe Armstrong hugged Billy Crystal, who was there to welcome to the crowd.
“Our goal is simple tonight, to spend more money than the Dodgers’ spent on free agents,” he joked. He told the audience U2 offered the first big donation of the night -- $1 million dollars.
Crystal said he has been affected by the fires, wearing the clothes he wore when he evacuated. He lost home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that he lived in for 46 years.
After Crystal was Alanis Morissette in a bedazzled “I heart LA” shirt, launching into “Ironic,” harmonica in hand, followed by Anderson .Paak with surprise guest Sheila E. Behind the performers, images of firefighters and the devastation brought forth by the fires appeared on screen.
And between sets, videos of survivors telling the stories of losing their homes were broadcast throughout the arena.
FireAid has taken over two Inglewood, California, venues — the Kia Forum and the Intuit Dome, starting at 7 p.m. Pacific at the Forum. The start of the show was delayed an hour Thursday afternoon.
Ahead of the performances at the Forum, D-Nice hit the stage to deejay. “We’re here to do something good for Los Angeles tonight.” That was followed by light cheers.
Spirits were high in the arena. “We’re appreciative of this moment. I hope people remember this concert forever,” said Scott Jones, 54, who brought his daughter to the concert. The Los Angeles-resident wore a black T-shirt with “First Responders” written across his chest. His teenager wore the same shirt.
“I hope some of the firefighters who are able to attend can come and decompress a little,” Jones said. “ They needed it. I’m supportive of what they have done for this city.”
FireAid is being broadcast and streamed live 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. It will also be shown at select AMC Theatres locations in the U.S.
Who else will perform?
Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Tate McRae and Earth, Wind & Fire will perform at the Intuit Dome.
Dawes, Graham Nash, Green Day, John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell, No Doubt, Pink, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks, the Black Crowes and John Mayer will perform at the Kia Forum.
Mayer and Dave Matthews were originally scheduled to perform live together for the first time, but on Wednesday, the official Dave Matthews Band Instagram account announced that “due to a critical illness in the family,” Matthews will no longer take the stage.
There will also be special guests.
The folk rock band Dawes were directly affected by the Eaton fire. Actor-singer Mandy Moore, who is married to Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, posted on social media to share that a portion of their Altadena house and Goldsmith’s home recording studio were destroyed. Goldsmith's brother and bandmate, Griffin Goldsmith, and his pregnant wife also lost their home in the fire.
Is it just a concert?
Between the performances, there will be celebrity and non-celebrity speakers, including those who lost their homes, first responders and firefighters.
There will also be packages spotlighting those impacted.
How will donations work?
Those not in attendance can watch the live feed and contribute donations via FireAidLA.org. The link, which is open now, will also be up on the screen for the duration of the broadcast.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie will match all donations made during the live broadcast, doubling the proceeds. Crystal noted that because of their pledge, U2's million dollar donation was worth twice that amount.
All of the proceeds will go to those affected. A 501(c)(3) was set up, and contributions to FireAid will be distributed under the Annenberg Foundation, which with FireAid has assembled a small committee to advise.
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AP Entertainment Writers Mark Kennedy and Jonathan Landrum Jr. contributed to this report.
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press