The Fire Aid shows may still be going on somewhere.
The four hour show at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles started two hours later than the one at the Kia Forum, each produced by Irving Azoff and his family along with Live Nation and AEG.
Both shows were spectacular showcases of the very best of pop music, like a crazy jukebox full of hits. The shows raised millions for wildfire relief. Not only were they packed with stars, but there were also videos about the fires, and people on stage speaking about losing their homes.
The line ups were so dizzying that people really didn’t leave their seats very much. There was simply too much going on. Just some highlights Stevie Wonder and Sting performing “Higher Ground” after Sting out on a masterclass of hits.
The show in the Dome was divided between younger and older artists. I noticed that a younger crowd — lots of young girls — were seated further back in (somewhat) cheaper seats. They sang along loudly to all their top 40 stars like Billie Eilish and Finneas, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo, and so on.
The older folks had the floor seats and while they were not as vocal for the young women, they stood and sang along to their songs by John Fogerty, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, Sting and Stevie, and ultimately, Lady Gaga.
But that’s what the shows work, which they did as producer Joel Gallen cut back and forth on huge video screens between the two venues. It was interesting at the Dome that Gwen Stefani and No Doubt — our screens coming from the Forum — got a huge reaction as if they’d never left and Gwen hadn’t wasted a lot of time on “The Voice.”
The other act that got a shot in the arm was Katy Perry, escaped from “American Idol.” Perry had a flop album last year, but her live performance remains sensational. She needs some great songs now to resurrect her career.
There were celebrities in the audience, although they kept it low key. When former Vice President Kamala Harris and husband Doug Emhoff took their seats, there was an uproar of applause from that section that almost stopped the show. Downstairs in the press room, I ran into Jessica Alba, who I used to see regularly 20 years ago. Now she’s a mogul and wow — she hasn’t aged! Still a knockout and charming as ever.
Back on stage, the three living members of Nirvana played a raucous rock set with St. Vincent who was also joined by Kim Gordon. The great Waddy Wachtel wailed his guitar through Stevie Nicks’s winning set of hits. Earth Wind & Fire had the most joyous performance of the night, culminating in “September” but also included my personal favorite, “That’s the Way of the World.”
Was I surprised by Rod Stewart, now 80? Yes. He still has his swagger, and when he tosses off “Maggie May” it’s as if time stood still.
One thing about Billie Eilish– that “Birds of a Feather” is sneaky good. It could easily win Best Song at the Grammys this weekend.
It’s a much more traditional pop song than she and Finneas have written. Their unplugged acoustic set tonight was also top notch.
Lady Gaga closed the show with “Shallow,” her winning song from “A Star is Born.” But she also ended the night with a new song she said she and her fiancee wrote together called “All I Need is Time.” It has a very 60s pop sound, seems old fashioned at first, but then you realize you will never get it out of your head. I hope it’s on her new album.
Fire Aid was unexpected, pulled together very quickly and surprisingly organized. PR giant Larry Solters told me the first hour at the Kia Forum his head was spinning. But by the time he got to the Dome, and things were running smoothly at both locations, he could relax — a little.
An historic and memorable once in a lifetime event.
The fundraising continues tonight at the Musicares dinner honoring the Grateful Dead. Saturday more money will be raised at the Clive Davis Recording Academy dinner and show with more A list stars. Then Sunday wraps it all up with the Grammy Awards. The whole Grammy week has been a boon for first responders, survivors, etc.
