FireAid poised to join history of impactful benefit concerts

CNN
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The music industry is coming together for disaster relief, once again.

Recording artists Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish, Jelly Roll, John Mayer, Katy Perry, Pink, Dave Matthews and more are scheduled to participate in the FireAid benefit concert on Thursday to raise money for those impacted by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.

Viewers around the world will be able to watch, stream and make contributions to FireAid on platforms including Apple Music, Apple TV, Max, Peacock, KTLA+, Netflix/Tudum, Paramount+, Prime Video and more, beginning at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 30. The concert will also be broadcast on 860 iHeartRadio radio stations.

It’s the latest example of a star-powered show that have historically found success raising money for people in need.

Here are a some other memorable benefits from the past:

Back in 1985, musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organized a benefit concert to both raise money for and draw attention to a famine in Ethopia.

Legendary artists including David Bowie, Queen, Madonna, U2 and more performed at the event that was simultaneously held at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Live Aid was broadcast across the globe and reportedly drew an estimated more than 1.8 billion viewers and raised more than $125 million.

It became known as one of the largest, most-watched concerts of all time.

Musicians are often the driving forces for such efforts.

Farm Aid also began in 1985, when Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp teamed up “to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on the land,” according to the organization.

“Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001, and Margo Price joined in 2021. Farm Aid has raised nearly $80 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture,” it states on the site. “Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America.”

Last year’s festival lineup featured artists Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats as well as Lukas Nelson with The Travelin’ McCourys along with mainstays Nelson, Young, Mellecamp, Matthews and Price.

The US suffered its worst terrorist attack in history on September 11, 2001.

America came together in both grief and solidarity and one of the results was the benefit concert titled, “America: A Tribute to Heroes.”

Performers from Céline Dion to Paul Simon took to stages in Los Angles, New York City and London for the patriotic event, which drew an audience of nearly 60 million viewers.

The event initially raised more than $150 million.

This event became more famous for a reason organizers did not plan.

In the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a celebrity telethon was assembled to raise funds for organizations like the American Red Cross to help those affected.

It aired on NBC and partner networks and all appeared to be going well until Kanye West appeared with “SNL” alum Mike Meyers. West shared his thoughts about the response to the disaster, then went off script by declaring, “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.”

The event reportedly raised more than $50 million, while “Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast” raised almost $100 million.