The surviving members of Nirvana surprised fans by reuniting at a concert to raise money for Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts.
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.
Kim Gordon. Pic: Reuters
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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LA FireAid concert draws huge stars to raise money
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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The Jagged Little Pill singer performed at the event along with other artists like Lady Gaga, John Mayer and Olivia Rodrigo.
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.
Billie Eilish performs with Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day during the FireAid benefit concert. Pic: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
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.
Joni Mitchell performs. Pic: AP
Olivia Rodrigo. Pic: AP
