Fireaid concerts are raising $ 100 million estimates for La Wildfire Relief – Boise State Public Radio

When Wild fires broke out In Los Angeles last month, over 16,000 homes and buildings were destroyed and at least 29 people lost their lives. Directed by local employees The unprecedented nature of fires. And given that the disaster devastated the city that found themselves so many creative industries did not take long for actors, musicians and other leaders of the entertainment industry – including many of them who were personally affected from wild fires – yes jump into actionS

On January 30, the Fireaid Benefit concert was held at Intuit Dome and Kia Forum in Inglaud. More than 30 artists including Olivia Rodrigo., Stewart., D -d dren and Johnny Mitchellalternates, performing; comedians as Billy Crystal – who loses their home in the fires – and Quinton Brunson He also turned to the audience. Brunson, who plays a teacher in his hit sitcom on ABC Abbott elementaryGlendale teacher Aurora Barbosa Flores, who shared how she spent decades, rescuing her home in Altadena, just to burn it.

Amy Susman / Getty Images for Fireaid / Getty Images North America

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Getty images in North America

In a statement shared with NPR, a spokesman for La Clippers, who cooperates in the production of the compensation concert and compensate for operating cost Fire relief. The evaluation includes private gifts from eagles., U2 And music executive director Irving Azof and his wife Shelley. Clippers owner Steve Balmer and his wife also coincided with all the promises made during the broadcast.

Fireaid still accepts donations online, so the total amount of money raised is expected to continue to grow. The funds administered through the Annaberg Foundation will help with immediate efforts to recover and long -term preventive measures in Southern California.

“The grant Advisory Committee for Grates, made up of long-time philanthropic LA-region philanthropic leaders with a deep non-profit relationship, are working to identify key areas of need for maximum impact,” the statement said. “Guided by the Annenberg Foundation, the Commission listens to the affected communities daily, evaluating gaps in local resources to ensure that the aid reaches those who need it and to examine the treatment of other fire disasters, such as those in Maui and Northern California. The first phase of grant [is] It is expected to be awarded until mid -February. ”

The grams, which took place in Los Angeles on February 2, they took a similar approach. Prior to the ceremony, the Academy of Recons reported that although many parties and events leading to the award ceremony were canceled in the light of wild fires, it would be too big for the local economy to cancel or postpone the show. Instead, Grammys 2025 focuses strongly on the worship of the city of Los Angeles through performances, video packages, ads and speeches from many Angelenos, which received major awards, including Kendrick LamarS Although the Academy did not share a final meeting how much money was raised during the broadcast, the host Trever Noah mentioned that more than $ 7 million had been donated during the ceremony.

A legacy of celebrity concerts – and complications

Efforts to relieve wild fire in Los Angeles follow in the footsteps of the long heritage of celebrity charity concerts. In 1971, George Harrison and Sitar Guru Rabi organized Bangladesh concert in Madison Square Garden. At that time, the region in South Asia was confronted with a humanitarian crisis due to natural disasters and a monthly war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh in what was previously known as Eastern Pakistan.

“There are six million displaced bengali, most of them suffer from malnutrition, cholera, and other diseases that result from life under the most dehumanizing conditions,” formerly All the things under consideration The host Mike Waters reported in July 1971.

With Harrison’s Beatles Star force behind him, the Bangladesh concert is the first show for the benefit of celebrities of this kind. The concert included performances by over a dozen performers, including Harrison, Shankar, Eric Clapton and Bob DylanS He raised about $ 243,000 for UNICEF – but he also faced his fair share of challenges.

“The huge problem with Bangladesh was that they did not choose the charity before the event. Therefore, all the charity vacations you would have, all the tax relief you would usually have with a charity event do not apply,” Music journalist Grame Thomson to say Morning edition In 2021, at the 50th anniversary of the concert. “There was a huge amount of money that A, I disappeared and I went to the tax.”

In 1985, the Los Angeles Times reported This nearly $ 10 million raised through the concert, his subsequent live album and documentary albums have been detained by IRS for more than a decade. Despite the bureaucratic delays, the Bangladesh concert continues to influence today through George Harrison Fund for UNICEFWho maintains programs in Bangladesh and also provides assistance in Angola, Romania, India, Haiti and Brazil.

At a more philosophical level, the Bangladesh concert also caused a greater movement of Western artists, a brilliant spotlight of humanitarian crises around the world. The Harrison and Shankar concert serves as a 1985 model. Livethat included performances of Queen., Paul McCartney and Madonna and raised more than $ 100 million to relieve hunger in Ethiopia. Comment made by Bob Dylan during this event caused the creation of Agricultural assistanceAnnual concert for benefits for US farmers.

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