Billie Eilish hit the stage with Green Day to kick off the FireAid concerts in Los Angeles on Thursday night (30.01.25).
Stars from across the music industry came together for double-venue event – at the Inuit Dome and Kia Forum- to raise funds for victims of the California wildfires which claimed the lives of at least 20 people and destroyed thousands of buildings across the state and Green Day were the first to take to the stage at the Kia Forum and they brought out pop star Billie as a special guest.
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong told the crowd: “California, Los Angeles, Altadena, the Palisades — we are in this together.”
The band performed their 2009 track ‘Last Night on Earth’ with the ‘Bad Guy’ star.
Other collaborations across the concerts included Alanis Morissette performing her song ‘Thank U’ with Anderson .Paak and John Fogerty joining The Black Crowes while Crosby, Stills and Nash stars Stephen Stills and Graham Nash reunited for a rare performance together.
There was also a Nirvana reunion with drummer Dave Grohl, bassist Krist Novoselic and rhythm guitarist Pat Smear performing with singers including St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Joan Jett taking on vocals in place of the late Kurt Cobain.
Other stars who performed included Katy Perry, who performed her hits ‘Roar’ and ‘California Gurls’, Joni Mitchell, Pink, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks and the Red Hot Chili Peppers .
The night also included a special performance by rapper Dr. Dre., who performed his 1995 Tupac Shakur collaboration ‘California Love’.
Actor Billy Crystal was among the famous faces who made an appearance on stage. The ‘When Harry Met Sally … ‘ star lost his home in the wildfires and he told the audience at the Forum about how he escaped with just the clothes he was wearing.
He said: “You’ll be hearing from a number of people who were tragically affected by these fires, and I was one of them.
“These were the clothes I wore when I fled my house with my wife Janice, like so many of us did, on January 7. This was all I had. Wore it for a week, plus an N-95 mask.
“I looked like an evacuee or someone that just robed a 7-11 [store].”
Crystal also explained that Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie Snyder would be matching all donations made throughout the night and the actor declared the first had come from rockers U2, who had handed over $1 million dollars to the relief fund.
The movie star also showed a picture of charred ruins as he described the moment he saw the remains of his home for the first time after the fire.
He said: “When we were finally able to get back to our house in the Palisades, which I lived in for 46 years, like thousands of you, our house now looked like this …
“I stepped onto the grounds and fell to my knees and I wailed. I had not cried like that since I was 15 years old, and I was told that my father had just died.
“I remember looking in the mirror back then with my whole life ahead of me thinking: ‘What’s my life gonna be like without him?’
“And now folks, I’m 76-years-old, without a mirror and a lot less life to ponder thinking: ‘What is my life going to be like without our home?’”
However, Crystal revealed his daughters found a rock in the ruins which had the word ‘laughter’ emblazoned on it.
He went on to say: “Even in your worst pain folks, it’s okay and it’s important to laugh. When I held that rock in my hands, this was the only thing that was left, I thought it was a message from 15-year-old me, saying: ‘It’s gonna be okay and it will be okay.’
“With your help around the country and here in the room, we will laugh again. We are going to listen to music again and we will be okay.”