Red Hot Chili Peppers were among those who took to the stage for the FireAid benefit concert in California. Check out footage of the set below.
The non-profit live event took place at the Kia Forum last night (January 30), and was first announced earlier this month as a way to provide financial support for the victims of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
Joining the star-studded setlist for the gig – which included Lady Gaga, Rod Stewart, Katy Perry, Joni Mitchell and more – was California’s own Red Hot Chili Peppers, who broke out a medley of their biggest hits.
For their segment, Anthony Kiedis and co. were introduced to the stage by Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks, and launched into the set with the aptly-chosen 2006 hit ‘Dani California’.
From there, they went straight into another one of their numerous songs inspired by the Golden State, performing a rendition of their classic track ‘Californication’, which appeared on 1999’s album of the same name and remains one of their biggest hits.
Other classic tracks from their earlier discography made the cut, including the ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ single ‘Under The Bridge’, as well as more recent offerings. The latter included ‘Black Summer’ – the lead single from their ‘Unlimited Love’ album which was shared in 2022 and marked the long-awaited return of long-time guitarist John Frusciante.
For the gig, actor Billy Crystal hosted the event and wore the clothes he had on when he escaped the Pacific Palisades fire earlier this month.
One huge moment on the night came as the surviving members of Nirvana made a surprise appearance, joined by St. Vincent, Kim Gordon, Joan Jett and Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet on vocals. Their set included performances of Nirvana’s tracks ‘Breed’, ‘School’, ‘Territorial Pissings’ and ‘All Apologies’.
Elsewhere, Billie Eilish and Green Day teamed up for a live rendition of ‘Last Night On Earth’, and No Doubt reunited for a medley of hits, playing their first show since making a comeback at Coachella 2024.
Other performances on the night came from Sting, Stevie Nicks, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo and Peso Pluma, and it was confirmed that U2 had contributed $1m (£804,829) to the cause.
All proceeds will benefit those affected by the wildfires, and donations can be made here.
In other RHCP news, recently bassist Flea news shared that he thinks Paul McCartney of The Beatles is the greatest bass player of all time. He made the announcement while appearing as a guest on Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson’s podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name.
Before then, the iconic California rock group joined Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg in closing out the Paris Olympics over the summer.
