Celebrities, first responders and others affected by the Los Angeles fires came together on Thursday at the FireAid benefit concert. The band Green Day kicked off the two-venue event, and were joined by singer songwriter Billie Eilish in their performance at the Kia Forum arena in Inglewood, California.

"If I lose everything in the fire / I'm sending all my love to you," Eilish sang at the concert which aims to raise money for wildfire relief.

"Our goal is simple tonight, to spend more money than the Dodgers spent on free agents," Green Day frontman Billy Joel Armstrong joked, referring to the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

He said the first big donation of the night was by Irish rock band U2, a sum of $1 million (€960.6 million).

The benefit concert had musical performances, and also survivors telling tales of destruction from the fires.

American actor and comedian Billy Crystal told the audience he was wearing the same clothes that he had evacuated in. He lost his home of 46 years, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

Rapper Dr. Dre showed up for a surprise performance, followed by 81-year-old singer Joni Mitchell. The band No Doubt led by Gwen Stefani also took to the stage.

The band Nirvana reunited on stage, with female artists St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Joan Jett fronting in place of the late Kurt Cobain. Dave Grohl's daughter, Violet, also appeared on stage for a rendition of "All Apologies."

Other star performers on the list included Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, Stevie Wonder and Sting. 

Second venue

The other venue for the concert was held in the Intuit Dome. It was kicked off by actor Samuel L. Jackson, an Altadena fire fighter who lost his home, and singer Rod Stewart.

Here, the lineup included singers Pink and Stevie Nicks, and R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire. The Black Crowes also performed and were joined by guitarist Slash.

Gen Z singers like Gracie Abrams and Tate McRae also took to stage. 

The screen behind the performers flashed images of firefighters and the destruction. Between musical sets, there were in-person and video tales of survivors .

"We're appreciative of this moment. I hope people remember this concert forever," Scott Jones, 54, told Reuters news agency. He attended the concert with his daughter, wearing matching T-shirts that said "First Responders."

rmt, tg/wd (AP, Reuters)