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\n\tAhead of the monumental FireAid benefit concert on Thursday night (Jan. 30) across two venues \u2013 the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome \u2013 more than $60 million had already been raised from sponsorships and ticket sales. And just as the evening kicked off \u2013 with the Forum lineup starting promptly at 7 p.m. \u2013 another $2 million was raised, thanks to a $1 million donation from U2 and a dollar-for-dollar match commitment from Clippers and Intuit Dome owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs the audience filled in to a DJ set from D-Nice, they were greeted by a wall of screens occupying the front end of the venue. Given the back-to-back performances from one superstar after another, the screens served two functions: quick staging switch-ups and <\/em>easy viewing of the Intuit performances, which eventually overlapped with the Forum show, with performers at each venue taking turns. (As Earth, Wind & Fire performed at Intuit, fans at the Forum were especially into the livestream, singing and dancing along enthusiastically to \u201cSeptember.\u201d)<\/p>\n \n\tAnd to further aid with the quick onstage turnaround times, the stage was essentially a massive Lazy Susan, allowing one act to be performing while the crew backstage prepped the other half of the stage for whomever was up next.<\/p>\n \n\tFollowing the first performance of the night \u2013 from Green Day featuring a special, unannounced guest \u2013 Billy Crystal introduced the show and gave a sense of what to expect from the five-plus-hour event. \u201cYou\u2019ll be hearing from a number of people who were affected, myself included,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are the same clothes I wore when I evacuated.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe thanked the countless firefighters and first responders, many of whom were in attendance, for their tireless work, and spoke of his own home in the Palisades, which he had lost after living there for 46 years. But, above all else, his sentiment was one that many echoed throughout the night: The benefit concert was all about love. And while many artists busted out sonic love letters to L.A. \u2013 from songs like Dawes\u2019 \u201cTime Spent in Los Angeles\u201d to the Red Hot Chili Peppers\u2019 \u201cDani California\u201d \u2013 some simply brought their biggest, most beloved hits, proving the healing power of music across the spectrum.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tAs Billy Crystal said: \u201cL.A. Strong.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRead on for the best moments from the Forum.<\/p>\n