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FireAid co-organiser Irving Azoff says he hopes the Los Angeles wildfire benefit will raise upwards of $50 million after the full lineups for the 30 January charity concerts were confirmed.
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 will perform at Intuit Dome (cap. 18,000).
Meanwhile, 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 will appear at the 17,500-cap Kia Forum.
The one-night-only event is being produced by the Azoff family in conjunction with Live Nation and AEG Presents.
“As soon as we understood the magnitude of the problem, the family, kids, Shelli [Azoff, wife] and I started talking about what we could do,” Irving Azoff tells Hits Daily Double. “Shelli said, we really need to do a show. Shelli and I spoke with Gillian Zucker, who’s the president of business operations for [NBA team and Intuit Dome tenant] the Clippers and is a close friend.
“We kind of had the idea to do a show at the same time, and she said, ‘Of course you can have Intuit.'”
One of the largest natural disasters in US history, at least 28 people have been killed as a result of the devastating blazes in LA, which have destroyed thousands of homes and business since igniting on 7 January. FireAid will raise money for rebuilding communities devastated by the wildfires and supporting efforts to prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California.
“We want people to give money for the joy of the music and the joy of the rebuild”
“As the outpouring of volunteers to perform became clear, we expanded to the second building,” continues Azoff. “We couldn’t possibly have gotten everybody on and off the stage in one night at Intuit. And that’s when we came up with the idea of adding the Forum as well.”
Tickets for both concerts go on sale today (22 January) at noon PT, through Ticketmaster, starting at $99 (€95). All proceeds will go to the relief efforts, with all venue and ticketing service fees waived. The event will start at 6pm at the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome will begin at 7:30 p.m.
In an effort to ensure people can experience as much of the show as possible, fans who buy tickets for Intuit Dome will be able to view the Kia Forum gig, when it begins, on screens inside the Intuit Dome. Conversely, when the Kia Forum show ends, fans inside will be able to view the acts at Intuit Dome, on screens at the Kia Forum, until the end of the event.
Azoff considers it feasible for the shows to raise “north of $50m”.
“Currently, the most significant portion of the money we’re raising is from sponsors,” he adds. “We have suites at Intuit, and no suites at the Forum, so we’re able to generate massive corporate donations at Intuit.
“We have no idea if people sitting at home are going to donate. We don’t know if anybody outside of California gives a shit. So we needed the two live gates, and we didn’t want to make it feel like a radio show, right? We couldn’t book everybody who wanted to perform.
“We don’t really want it to be a big, somber moment. This is about the spirit of LA. and how music heals… We want people to give money for the joy of the music and the joy of the rebuild.”
“Crew Nation is continuing its core mission of helping this hardworking community through unforeseen hardship”
The fundraiser will be broadcast and streamed live on Apple Music and the Apple TV app, Max, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Netflix/Tudom, Paramount+, Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM, Spotify, SoundCloud, Veeps, and YouTube, and at select AMC Theatre locations in 70 US markets.
Last week, Live Nation’s Crew Nation Global Relief Fund announced it is committing $1 million to assist performing musicians, live music crew and live music industry workers affected by the recent wildfires.
Crew Nation has opened applications for grants up to $5,000 for individuals currently employed within the industry facing displacement expenses due to mandatory evacuation orders, damage, or loss. Those seeking support can apply for Crew Nation Fund grants here.
“LA is home to so many who help make live music possible, and Crew Nation is continuing its core mission of helping this hardworking community through unforeseen hardship,” says Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino.
Separately, Live Nation is also supporting impacted employees from its Los Angeles headquarters with direct relief through its Taking Care of Our Own programme.
In addition, the co-founders of hip-hop festival Rolling Loud raised $25,000 for the LA Wildfires Relief Fund from a benefit concert held at Kemistry Nightclub in Fort Lauderdale on 20 January, headlined by Ski Mask The Slump God.
Meanwhile, the 2025 edition of annual live entertainment conference Pollstar Live!, which was scheduled for the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles from 18-20 February, has been postponed to 15-17 April to focus on the rebuilding efforts.
“Our hearts go out to the people of Los Angeles as they deal with the ongoing devastating wildfires and the long recovery ahead,” says Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke. “LA was home to Oak View Group, parent company of Pollstar, for the last decade, and many of our colleagues and music industry partners have been deeply and personally affected by this tragedy.
“Right now, Oak View Group is focused on the immediate needs of the community and raising funds in support of FireAid.”
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Two benefit gigs to fight climate change are reportedly being planned for the UK and US in early 2025.
The inaugural events will take place at stadiums in London and Los Angeles – 40 years on from the iconic Live Aid concerts. Proceeds will go towards a new Climate Aid charity “to fund large-scale investments to significantly reduce emissions and move to a low-carbon global economy”.
Artists reported to have signed up to perform include Robbie Williams and Rita Ora, with other acts approached including Bruce Springsteen, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, U2, Katy Perry, Sia and Imagine Dragons.
“Two concerts, in London and LA, are scheduled to take place in January next year and will unite the world to raise vital funds for climate change”
“Two concerts, in London and LA, are scheduled to take place in January next year and will unite the world to raise vital funds for climate change,” a source tells the Mirror. “It will mark 40 years since Live Aid raised over £100 million for famine relief in Ethiopia and has the biggest names in the industry driving it forward. Music fans won’t have seen a concert of this scale since. The plan is for it to happen every two years.”
According to the report, the UK show is being produced by ITV creative director Lee Connolly, with Island Records and former BBC Radio broadcast director Paul Robinson also said to be involved.
The 1985 Live Aid concerts, organised by Bob Geldof, Midge Ure and Harvey Goldsmith, saw acts including Queen, David Bowie, U2, the Who, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Black Sabbath and Bob Dylan perform to around 160,000 fans in London and Philadelphia on 13 July 1985.
The concerts were watched by a further two billion people on television worldwide and raised more than $127 million for victims of the Ethiopian famine.
A subsequent string of benefit shows, Live 8, were held in the G8 states and South Africa in July 2005, featuring acts such as U2 and Paul McCartney, Elton John, Jay-Z, Pink Floyd, Madonna, Kanye West, Coldplay, Robbie Williams and Stevie Wonder.
Interested in the intersection of sustainability and live events? Don’t miss out on the 16th edition of the Green Events and Innovations conference. For more information, click here.
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