Nirvana stage surprise reunion at benefit concert for LA fires
Thursday night’s two-venue, five-hour extravaganza featured performances from plenty of California natives and stars with ties to the region but the Nirvana reunion was the biggest surprise of the evening.
Band members Pat Smear, Krist Novoselic and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl performed with a series of guest female vocalists.
Their set started with St Vincent as the frontwoman, before Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Joan Jett and Grohl’s singer daughter Violet each joined them on stage.
Eschewing some of Nirvana’s best-known tracks, the supergroup instead made inspired choices and launched into Breed, School and Territorial Pissings. With Violet on stage, they closed their set with All Apologies.
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The evening had been kicked off by Billie Eilish and Green Day. Prior to their performance, actor Billy Crystal welcomed the crowd at the Kia Forum, wearing the clothes he had on when he escaped the Pacific Palisades fire earlier this month. He had lived in the area for 46 years and spoke poignantly about losing his home.
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An hour and a half later, acts began taking to the stage at the Intuit Dome too with the online broadcast switching seamlessly between the two venues.
California native Katy Perry waved the state’s flag during hits including the anthemic Roar and California Gurls, while No Doubt – from nearby Orange County – performed tracks including I’m Just A Girl and Don’t Speak.
Dr Dre also made a unexpected appearance alongside Anderson .Paak and Sheila E, and covered Still DRE and the classic, California Love.
Behind the performers, images of firefighters and the devastation wrought by the fires appeared on screen. Survivors also spoke about losing their homes and escaping the fires in between sets.
Joni Mitchell, Pink, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Olivia Rodrigo were also among those who performed.
The task of closing the show fell to Lady Gaga, who performed a new song written especially for the occasion.
“It’s just for tonight, it’s just for you,” she said of the track, written with her fiancé, businessman Michael Polansky. “Time is a healer.”
Gaga also powered through the Oscar-winning Shallow, from A Star is Born, and Always Remember Us This Way.
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Former US vice president Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were among those attending the Intuit Dome concert.
Mr Emhoff shared a picture of himself and his wife in their seats on Instagram, alongside the caption: “Kamala and I are grateful to be at the FireAid concert tonight in our hometown of Los Angeles.
“It is a wonderful night that shows the strength and resilience of our city as we begin to recover and rebuild from the devastating wildfires.”
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Audiences at home can donate online. Early in the concert, Crystal revealed that the band U2 contributed $1m (£804,829).
The owner of the basketball team the Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie, will match all donations made during the concert.
All proceeds will go to those affected by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires earlier in the month.
Some 29 people died in the fires, with thousands more homes and businesses destroyed.
