Ahead of the monumental FireAid benefit concert on Thursday (Jan. 30) across two venues – the Forum and Intuit Dome – more than $60 million dollars had already been raised from sponsorships and ticket sales. And just as the evening kicked off – with the Forum lineup starting promptly at 7pm – another $2 million was raised, thanks to a $1 million dollar donation from U2 and a dollar-for-dollar match commitment from Steve and Connie Ballmer.
As the audience filled to a DJ set from D-Nice they were greeted by a wall of screens occupying the front end of the venue. Given the back-to-back performances from one superstar after another, the screens served two functions: quick staging switch-ups and easy viewing of the Intuit performances, which eventually overlapped with the Forum show, with performers at each venue taking turns. (As Earth, Wind & Fire performed at Intuit, fans at the Forum were especially into the livestream, singing and dancing along to “September.”)
And to further aid with the quick on-stage turnaround times, the stage was essentially a massive Lazy Susan, allowing one act to be performing while the crew backstage prepped the other half of the stage for whomever was up next.
Following the first performance of the night – from Green Day featuring a special, unannounced guest – Billy Crystal introduced the show and gave a sense of what to expect from the 5-plus hour event. “You’ll be hearing from a number of people who were affected, myself included,” he said. “These are the same clothes I wore when I evacuated.”
He thanked the countless firefighters and first responders, many of whom were in attendance, for their tireless work, and spoke of his own home in the Palisades, which he had lost after living there for 46 years. But, above all else, his sentiment was one that many echoed throughout the night: the night was all about love. And while many artists busted out sonic love letters to LA – from songs like Dawes’ “Time Spent In Los Angeles” to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California” – some simply brought their biggest, most beloved hits, proving the healing power of music across the spectrum.
As Crystal said: “LA Strong.”
Read on for the best moments from the Forum.
