FireAid LA: The Night that Music Brought the City Back to Life
In the Ashes, Los Angeles Found Its Voice
By Natalie McCarty
There is nothing in the world quite like music to bring people of all walks together. Nothing more transformative than its power with its messages of protest, hope, unrest, love, grief, and joy. And there is no clearer testament to the urgency of a cause than when musicians at the top of their game—or legends long retired—return to the stage.
Right now, LA is grieving. LA is hurting. LA is scared.
But what else is Los Angeles? Resilient. Brave. Compassionate. And, above all, united.
In a time when our city feels like a war zone—where the once-familiar landscapes of Pacific Palisades and Altadena are now unrecognizable, where the homes and lives people built have turned to ash—there is also something else rising from the wreckage. Hope. A drive to rebuild. A will to come back stronger.
And last night, LA proved it.
At the Kia Forum and the Intuit Dome, the city came together in a way that will be talked about for decades. A night of music, remembrance, and unity. All proceeds raised were donated to immediate fire relief efforts and long-term rebuilding, and in a remarkable show of solidarity, every single contribution was matched by Steve and Connie Ballmer. The night honored our first responders and those who lost everything. It offered moments of peace and closure in the middle of this collective mourning.
For those who missed it, here was last night’s setlist:
FireAid Benefit Concert – January 30, 2025 – Kia Forum
Green Day
• “Last Night on Earth” (with Billie Eilish)
SCOTT DUDELSON/GETTY IMAGES FOR FIREAID
• “I’m Still Alive”
• “When I Come Around”
Billy Crystal also attended to introduce the acts and speak about his own devastating losses in the fire.
Alanis Morissette
• “Hand in My Pocket”
• “Thank You”
Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals (with Sheila E.)
• “Put Me Thru”
• “Come Down”
GETTY IMAGES FOR FIREAID
• “Still D.R.E.” (with Dr. Dre)
• “California Love” (with Dr. Dre)
Dawes
• “All Your Favorite Bands”
• “When My Time Comes”
Stephen Stills & Graham Nash
• “For What It’s Worth” (Buffalo Springfield cover) – performed with Dawes and Mike Campbell
• “Teach Your Children” (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover) – performed with Dawes
SCOTT DUDELSON/GETTY IMAGES FOR FIREAID
Joni Mitchell
• “Both Sides Now”
P!nk
• “What About Us”
• “Me and Bobby McGee” (Janis Joplin cover)
• “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” (Led Zeppelin cover)
John Mayer
• “Neon”
• “Gravity”
• “Free Fallin’” (Tom Petty cover)
The Black Crowes (with John Fogerty and Slash)
• “Remedy”
• “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” (with John Fogerty & Shane and Tyler Fogerty)
• “Going to California” (Led Zeppelin cover with Slash)
GETTY IMAGES FOR FIREAID
No Doubt
• “Just a Girl”
• “Don’t Speak”
• “Spiderwebs”
JOHN SHEARER/GETTY IMAGES
Stevie Nicks
• “Stand Back”
• “Landslide”
• “Edge of Seventeen”
GETTY IMAGES FOR FIREAID
Nirvana Reunion (with Special Guests)
• Performers: Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear reunited, featuring:
• St. Vincent on “Breed”
• Kim Gordon on “School”
• Joan Jett on “Territorial Pissings”
GETTY IMAGES FOR FIREAID
• Violet Grohl and Kim Gordon on “All Apologies”
GETTY IMAGES FOR FIREAID
Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “Dani California”
• “Californication”
• “Black Summer”
• “Under the Bridge”
I was at the Kia Forum, witnessing history.
And in that space, in that moment, I realized something: I had experienced nearly every favorite song I’ve ever had since the first time I understood what it meant to have a favorite song.
Last night’s line up was like listening to what I play on the AUX when driving down Ventura Boulevard late at night, or coasting down Hollywood Boulevard after work. My musical world has always shifted between the folk that grew in the California canyons to the rock that shaped the Sunset Strip. The pop that played on the radio on the way to school as a child, the CDs my parents kept on repeat at home. And last night, it was all there, alive and loud and urgent, colliding in a single night.
Every note of every song from every performance carried the weight of loss and the promise of healing. Each song a rallying cry, a love letter to this city, a beacon of resilience.
Many of these artists have been activists since the ’60s. And last night, they did what they have always done: they stood for something bigger than themselves.
They sang for LA.
They sang for those who fought the fires and continue to.
They sang for all of us, in the ashes, in the pain, in the hope.
And in that moment, under the glow of the lights, with thousands of voices lifted in unison, LA didn’t feel broken anymore.
It felt whole.
