FireAid Concerts Raise Over $100 Million for L.A Wildfire Relief

Ollie McSweeney, Contributing Writer

On January 30^th in Inglewood California, pop, grunge, and rock stars performed at the FireAid benefit concerts to raise funds for L.A. Wildfire relief. The event was held at two venues; the Intuit Dome and the Kia Forum. All donations were advised under the Annenberg Foundation, who will distribute the funds for short-term and long-term relief in Southern California.

The lineup for the Intuit Dome consisted of Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Baby, Gracie Abrams, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Earth Wind and Fire, Jelly Roll, Peso Pluma, Rod Stewart, and Tate McRae.

Kia Forum had performers No Doubt, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, P!nk, Stevie Nicks, Alanis Morissette, Anderson .Paak, John Fogerty, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, The Black Crowes, Dawes, Joni Mitchell, and John Mayer.

All of the funds raised at the venues went directly to the beneficiaries while the basketball team, the L.A Clippers covered the expenses of the event. FireAid raised an estimated 100 million from these events. You can still donate on the FireAid website, and the concerts themselves can be viewed on streaming sites and social media for those who missed them.

Between acts, survivors and first responders told stories in-person or over video broadcasts about evacuating and losing their homes to the devastating fires. Stevie Nicks dedicated her performance of “Landslide” to the first responders who saved her home in the Pacific Palisades after giving the audience a brief recollection of her own evacuation story.  

The show was full of surprise guests and songs, along with the momentary reunion of No Doubt and the remaining members of Nirvana. Billie Eilish made an appearance on stage during Green Day’s performance, as did Dr. Dre and Sheila E. on Anderson Paak’s set. Lady Gaga debuted “Time Is A Healer,” which was written with her fiancé for the event and Jelly Roll brought out Blink 182’s Travis Barker to his set.

The wildfires that occurred this January have affected many areas across Southern California, areas include: Palisades, Eaton, Bert, Hurst, Sunset, Sunswept, Kenneth and Hughes counties in Los Angeles, Riverside County in San Bernardino, Olivas County and Laguna County in Ventura, Lilac County and Border 2 County in San Diego. The fires took anywhere from one day to two weeks to contain, claiming tens of thousands of buildings and the lives of at least 29 people. 

There are many other organizations that people can donate to that will provide relief to wildfire survivors other than FireAid. The California Community Foundation has started a Wildfire Recovery Fund, focused primarily on the long-term recovery of neighborhoods. The United Way of Greater Los Angeles has started a Wildfire Response Fund that supports low-income individuals and urgent needs. The California Fire Foundation has been providing financial relief to impacted residents, as well as support for first responders. 

There are many other foundations that are readily available with a quick Google search as well. It can be difficult to differentiate from scam charities, so make sure the foundation you may donate to is reputable and ethical.