Irving Azoff says organizing FireAid has kept him too busy to sleep
Irving and Shelli Azoff, who are cohosting the concert in conjunction with other powerful partners, helped pull together the star-studded concert in a span of about 12 days.
Irving Azoff, former CEO of Ticketmaster and a giant in the music industry, told The Wrap that he and fellow organizers managed to wrangle 25 streaming partners for tonight’s concert — which is why it’ll seemingly be available everywhere online.
“I haven’t slept in two weeks,” he said in the interview.
Who organized the benefit?
Reporting from Los Angeles
This event is being produced by music mogul Irving Azoff and his wife, Shelli, in conjunction with Live Nation and the Los Angeles Clippers, according to the FireAid website.
“When it became obvious that there was going to be a need, I think we were just trying to commiserate. ‘What can we do?’ And Shelli said we should do all we know how to do. We should do the show,” Irving Azoff told The Associated Press. “Gillian Zucker, the CEO of the Clippers organization, and Shelli were on the phone a few minutes later. And here we are.”
Zucker told the AP that Shelli began efforts to spearhead the event on Jan. 9, about 48 hours after the fires started. That’s when she offered the Clippers’ arena as a venue.
First responders expected in the crowd of attendees
Reporting from Los Angeles
Music mogul Irving Azoff, among those who spearheaded the event, told the AP that “there are at least 2,000 seats going to first responders, firemen, policemen and people that have lost their homes.”
Some corporate sponsors will provide seats to those who lost their homes, as well, he told the news service.
Steve and Connie Ballmer pledge to match all donations tonight
Philanthropists Connie and Steve Ballmer, who are among tonight’s event organizers, will match every donation made during tonight’s concert, FireAid announced.
“That means 2X the impact for those affected by the fires in SoCal,” FireAIDLA wrote in a social media post.
That’s on top of the $15 million that the Ballmers had already pledged in emergency funding two weeks ago.
Steve Ballmer owns the Los Angeles Clippers, the NBA team that normally plays at Intuit Dome. Tonight the arena is one of two venues for the benefit.
What to know about the L.A. wildfires
Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted on Jan. 7 and roared across the Los Angeles area, killing at least 29 people, including some who died trying to prevent the fires from engulfing their homes, and destroying thousands of structures.
The Palisades Fire erupted the morning of Jan. 7 in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood east of Malibu, as a brush fire. The blaze, which had grown to 23,448 acres, was 95% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. Cal Fire said the fire damaged or destroyed more than 6,800 structures.
The Eaton Fire ignited hours after the Palisades Fire near a canyon in the sprawling national forest lands north of downtown Los Angeles. It had exploded to 14,021 acres and was 99% contained, according to Cal Fire. The agency has reported that 9,418 structures were damaged or destroyed in the blaze.
The Hughes Fire began near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County the morning of Jan. 22 and quickly grew to over 10,000 acres. It had covered 10,425 acres and was 98% contained by Monday night.
Read the full story here.
Dave Matthews is no longer performing tonight
Due to a “critical illness in the family,” Dave Matthews is no longer performing at the FireAid benefit, the Dave Matthews Band said in an Instagram post yesterday.
No other details were provided and it was not immediately clear what kind of illness was being referenced.
Matthews was scheduled to perform alongside John Mayer.
What time do the concerts start?
Reporting from Los Angeles
The performances will kick off at 6 p.m. PT from the Kia Forum. The second series of shows will begin at the Intuit Dome at 7:30 p.m.
Organizers told The Associated Press that once both shows have begun, the presentation will “cut back and forth: a live performance and then one broadcast on the screens.”
Then “there’s never a dull moment,” executive producer Joel Gallen told the AP. “There’s no ‘let’s stop and watch them change the stage for 10 minutes.’”
Read the full list of performers
Reporting from Los Angeles
At the Kia Forum, expect to see: Alanis Morissette, Anderson .Paak, John Mayer, Dawes, Graham Nash, Green Day, John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell, No Doubt, Pink, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks and The Black Crowes.
Meanwhile, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Rod Stewart, Lil Baby, Stevie Wonder, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo, Sting, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Peso Pluma, Tate McRae and Earth, Wind and Fire will perform at the Intuit Dome.
How to watch the FireAid concert
Reporting from Los Angeles
The benefit concert isn’t just for Angelenos. Organizers partnered with various streaming services so fans at home can watch the show, as well.
You can stream it on: Apple Music and the Apple TV app, Max, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Netflix/Tudum, Paramount+, Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM on “LIFE with John Mayer,” SoundCloud, Veeps and YouTube.
AMC Theatres also announced selected locations in 70 U.S. markets will have screenings of the event. The movie chain said, “FireAid is producing a centralized feed, which will include performances from both venues.” Guests are being encouraged to sing and dance to the concert film event.
