Billie Eilish and Green Day kick off benefit concert for LA fires

Billie Eilish and Green Day kicked disconnected the FireAid payment performance successful Los Angeles connected Thursday nighttime - a two-venue, five-hour extravaganza raising wealth for wildfire alleviation efforts.

Actor Billy Crystal welcomed the assemblage astatine the Kia Forum, wearing the apparel helium had connected erstwhile helium escaped the Pacific Palisades occurrence earlier this month. He had lived successful the country for 46 years and spoke poignantly astir losing his home.

An hr and a fractional later, acts began taking to the authorities astatine the Intuit Dome excessively with the online broadcast switching seamlessly betwixt the 2 venues.

A fig of the stars who performed person ties to the region. California autochthonal Katy Perry waved the state's emblem during hits including the anthemic Roar and California Gurls, portion No Doubt - from adjacent Orange County - performed tracks including I'm Just A Girl and Don't Speak.

One of the biggest surprises truthful acold has been a reunion for different 90s act: Nirvana. Band members Pat Smear, Krist Novoselic and Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl performed with a bid of impermanent pistillate vocalists.

Their acceptable started with St Vincent arsenic the frontwoman, earlier Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, Joan Jett and Grohl's vocalist girl Violet each joined them connected stage.

Dr Dre besides made a unexpected quality alongside Anderson Paak and Sheila E, and covered Still DRE and the classical California Love.

Joni Mitchell, Pink, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Olivia Rodrigo are besides among those who person performed truthful far, with the performance acceptable to extremity aft 8am UK time.

Other large names acceptable to deed the signifier see Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga.

Behind the performers, images of firefighters and the devastation wrought by the fires appeared connected screen. Survivors besides spoke astir losing their homes and escaping the fires successful betwixt sets.

Former US vice president Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, are among those attending the Intuit Dome concert.

Mr Emhoff shared a representation of himself and his woman wrong the Intuit Dome connected Instagram, alongside the caption: "Kamala and I are grateful to beryllium astatine the FireAid performance contiguous successful our hometown of Los Angeles.

"It is simply a fantastic nighttime that shows the spot and resilience of our metropolis arsenic we statesman to retrieve and rebuild from the devastating wildfires."

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Audiences astatine location tin donate online. Early successful the concert, Crystal revealed that the set U2 contributed $1m (£804,829).

The proprietor of the hoops squad the Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Ballmer and his woman Connie, volition lucifer each donations made during the concert.

All proceeds volition spell to those affected by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires earlier successful the month.

Some 29 radical died successful the fires, with thousands much homes and businesses destroyed.