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The 67th edition of the Grammy Awards took place last night (2 February) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with performances from some of the biggest names in pop music.
More than 20 musicians performed during the awards show, which took place in the wake of the LA wildfires – one of the largest natural disasters in US history.
The ceremony kicked off with a tribute to the city, featuring an all-star cast of artists including Dawes, Brad Paisley, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard and St. Vincent.
The supergroup delivered a jaunty rendition of Randy Newman’s I Love L.A. as clips of firefighters and first responders played on the screens behind them.
Elsewhere, Charli XCX delivered a ‘boisterous’ performance of Von Dutch and Guess, with the former track earning her Best Dance/Pop Recording. The British popstar also scooped Best Dance/Electronic Album for the cultural phenomenon BRAT.
Doechii delivered an electrifying performance of her breakout hits Catfish and Denial Is A River after becoming the third woman ever to win Best Rap Album and Chappell Roan gave a buoyant performance of Pink Pony Club before walking away with Best New Artist.
Beyoncé, the most nominated artist in 2025 and in Grammys history, did not perform, but she finally won Album of the Year on her fifth try for Cowboy Carter. The star also went home with Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her track II Most Wanted ft Miley Cyrus.
Beyoncé finally won Album of the Year on her fifth try for Cowboy Carter
Minutes before winning her first-ever Grammy Award, Sabrina Carpenter took the stage to perform her smash hit Espresso (which earned her Best Pop Solo Performance) and Please Please Please. She later earned Best Pop Vocal Album for her recent LP Short n’ Sweet.
Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish – who earned six and seven nominations, respectively – went home empty-handed. Eilish performed her nominated hit Birds of a Feather alongside her brother Finneas.
The biggest winner of the night was Kendrick Lamar whose track Not Like Us was named Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Music Video.
Other artists that performed during the ceremony included Shakira, Benson Boone, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Raye, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims, Khruangbin and The Weeknd, who delivered a surprise performance.
An all-star tribute to Quincy Jones, who died on 3 November 2024, drew performances from Cynthia Erivo, Herbie Hancock, Jacob Collier, Lainey Wilson, Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monáe. Elsewhere, Coldplay’s Chris Martin delivered a muted take on the band’s track All My Love for the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment.
See the full list of nominees and winners at Grammys 2025 here.
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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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Insomniac Events’ longest-running festival, Nocturnal Wonderland, has been cancelled due to the fast-growing wildfires in California, US.
The electronic music-focused camping festival, which was launched in 1995, was scheduled to be held this weekend (14-15 September) at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino.
Acts booked to appear included Kaskade, RL Grime, San Holo, Jesse Brooks, Discovery Project, Apashe, Airglo and Jessica Audiffred, but the event will no longer go ahead.
“While Nocturnal Wonderland was cleared to move forward at the time of our last update, we are saddened to inform you that new fires in the San Bernardino area have ignited over the past 36 hours and are now approaching the Glen Helen Amphitheater,” says a statement from the festival.
“After further discussions with local authorities, due to the impact of the fires surrounding the venue, we will be unable to proceed with Nocturnal Wonderland”
“The health and safety of festival attendees and staff is our highest priority. After further discussions with local authorities, due to the impact of the fires surrounding the venue, we will be unable to proceed with Nocturnal Wonderland.”
Currently, there are 16 active wildfires in California that have burned 613,819 acres.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the fires throughout San Bernardino and Southern California,” adds the event. “We understand the importance of ensuring that local resources are fully dedicated to managing the fires and protecting the surrounding communities.
“In the coming days, we will share more information on how our dance music community can come together to support and give back to the courageous firefighters and those displaced or affected by the fires.”
Last Sunday, a Vance Joy concert at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl was called off following a heat-related power outage, as the Californian city battled extreme heat of up to 104°F (40°C).
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The first-ever Kimchi Festival Canada, set to be held next weekend, has been cancelled.
The two-day event was due to take place at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, from 23 to 24 June.
The Live Nation-promoted festival was set to include performances by Billlie, Jamie Park, Xdinary Heroes, Gukjeondan, VIVIZ, ONEUS, ex-Wonder Girls member Sunye, DJ Flash Finger, Cheetah and 6band.
However, the organisers announced on 14 June that the festival will no longer be moving ahead due to ongoing wildfires in the country.
“The last few days have been difficult,” the organiser said in a statement on Instagram. “We have had many meetings with our production team and the idol agencies about the matter of the festival and the safety of the public and idols.
This year marks an unprecedented wildfire season in Canada
“Canada is currently experiencing numerous natural disasters, reportedly the worst in the last 100 years,” they added. “As the festival was to celebrate the 60th anniversary of unity between Canada and South Korea, and the problems that are currently happening in Canada, it is not the proper time to host the festival.
“We are sad to report that the decision is to cancel the event at this time,” the organisers continued. They added that they have “already informed Ticketmaster to return all tickets that have been sold as soon as possible”.
In a separate comment under the post, the organisers added that they will “will look at rescheduling as well as a different venue” for the 2023 Kimchi Festival Canada. “Again this is not what we were expecting nor what we wished for. This has been a hard loss for all involved.”
This year marks an unprecedented wildfire season in Canada, which has forced tens of thousands of its residents to evacuate.
Last week, the east coast of the US was affected by the smoky conditions from fires sweeping Quebec, many of which were deemed “out of control”.
As a result, concerts, broadway performances, sports games, Pride events and flights were cancelled.
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A Chris Stapleton concert was called off due to “hazardous” air quality levels in New York caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.
Broadway performances, sports games, Pride events and flights were also cancelled in recent days due to the polluting haze spreading across the US east coast.
Stapleton was due to perform for 17,000 people at St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse on Thursday (8 June) but late Wednesday, the American singer issued a statement postponing the outdoor concert.
“Due to the ongoing air conditions in the greater Syracuse area, tomorrow night’s show at @StJosephsAmp will be rescheduled. All previously purchased tickets for the original date will be honoured for the new date. We expect to have an update by mid-day June 9th.”
There had been a question mark over whether The Governors Ball NYC could take place this weekend in Flushing Meadows Corona Park but organisers assured ticketholders the outdoor event would go ahead.
There had been a question mark over whether The Governors Ball NYC could take place this weekend
“Skies are clearing in NYC and conditions are expected to be significantly improved by tomorrow,” reads a post on social media from The Governors Ball NYC. “Gates will be opening at 11:45 am as planned! See you there.”
Much of the smoke plaguing the region can be traced back to fires burning in Quebec, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Nearly 150 fires are active in that province alone – some burning for weeks – with hundreds more alight across Canada.
Hundreds of firefighters from the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have been deployed to Canada, and more are on the way.
Poor air quality peaked in some major metro areas along the East Coast by late Wednesday or early Thursday. The former was by far the worst day on record in the United States for wildfire smoke since 2006, according to new research from Stanford University scientists.
The Canadian government says nearly 100 million people in the US and Canada are currently experiencing very poor air quality. Millions across North America are being advised to wear high-grade masks outdoors due to dangerous air pollution.
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