Rod Stewart and Sting to headline LA charity concert for California wildfire relief

British music legends Sir Rod Stewart and Sting are set to perform at a charity concert aimed at supporting the wildfire relief efforts in California. They will be joined by American superstars such as Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Pink, and Katy Perry.

The one-off event, named FireAid, is scheduled for January 30 at the Intuit Dome and the neighbouring Kia Forum in Los Angeles. It will also be broadcasted and streamed live. Other performers include Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, 10-time Grammy winner Joni Mitchell, Gwen Stefani, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gracie Abrams, Green Day, Jelly Roll, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lil Baby, Stephen Stills, and Tate McRae.

Two-time Oscar-winning musician Billie Eilish will share the stage with her brother Finneas O’Connell, while Dave Matthews and John Mayer will perform together live for the first time. Sir Rod, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday and moved back to the UK after living in Los Angeles for three decades, will also take the stage.

The concert aims to raise funds for rebuilding communities affected by wildfires and support efforts to prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California, according to the organisers. The event will be available on various platforms including Apple Music, Apple TV app, , Paramount+ and Prime Video. Tickets will be available from Wednesday on Ticketmaster, with more artists to be announced later, added the organisers.

Pop sensation Taylor Swift has expressed her heartbreak over the devastating wildfires, describing them as “heartbreaking to see”. The 35 year old star took to to share a list of organisations she has supported, including the California Community Foundation Fund, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, and Los Angeles Regional Foodbank.

Taylor swift said: “The fires in California have devastated so many families and it has been heartbreaking to see these stories unfold. So much suffering, loss and destruction, as many people embark on some of the most challenging times of their lives.”

She praised the numerous organisations working tirelessly to help communities rebuild.

Swift is no stranger to philanthropy, having previously donated £3.8 million to hurricane relief efforts in Florida last October and generously supporting 1,400 food banks across the UK and community organisations in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London – cities she visited during her record-breaking Eras Tour last summer. Other celebrities contributing to the LA relief efforts include Oscar winners Leonardo Di Caprio and Jamie Lee Curtis, and Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria, each pledging £819,000.

US megastar Beyonce confirmed that her BeyGood foundation has generously donated £2.05 million to the relief efforts, after delaying an announcement which fans are speculating could be a tour or a new album. Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation also stepped in, offering a hefty £410,000 donation to relief efforts as “the disaster upends families and dismantles livelihoods”, the rock band shared on .

Meanwhile, US socialite Paris Hilton managed to raise £656,000 in just 72 hours for displaced families through her charity 11:11 Media Impact, and pledged £123,000 to GoFundMe’s Wildfire Relief Fund. She later revealed that her partner, the Hilton hotel chain, was providing 20,000 rooms free of charge to families displaced by the fires.

The US celebrity also took in a three year old chihuahua “whose family unfortunately had to surrender her after their home was destroyed in the wildfires”, she posted on . This followed the reality star witnessing her Malibu home “burn to the ground on live TV”. Other celebrities who lost their homes to the fires included Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal, Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg.