In times of hardship, music seems to be the one thing that can lift broken spirits, bring people together, and rebuild communities. In January, Los Angeles suffered one of its most horrific tragedies with multiple fires destroying countless families’ homes, and thousands of small businesses, leaving lives changed forever. While performing music may not be a direct relief in terms of building new infrastructures and replenishing goods and possessions lost in the fires, it provides the opportunity for people to unite and encourage those who are in the position to give, whether financially, with their time, or with their outreach to piece back together the city of Los Angeles.
Lindsey Hartman, a photographer and fashion stylist who works closely with a handful of musicians, banded together the Avengers of indie music to throw the benefit show of a lifetime to aid LA fire reliefs including Friends In Deed, Pasadena Humane, One Voice, and Altadena Girls. Proceeds from ticket sales as well as from a star-studded auction running through the show including clothing pieces from Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, and much more went to benefit these amazing organizations.
The lineup for the show at the Hollywood Palladium on February 5th included artists who live in Los Angeles or have a deep love for the city such as Jenny Lewis, Lucy Dacus, Hayley Williams, Kevin Morby, MUNA, and many more. There were even a few comedians on the lineup like Fred Armisen and Reggie Watts with actor John C. Reilly on hosting duties.
The night started out with a couple of DJ sets, one by artist/rapper, Fat Tony. During the set, he openly shared that his home in Altadena was burned down but he still maintained a positive outlook while dancing around on stage spinning songs by Charli XCX, Paramore, and his famous mix of Brooks & Dunn “Neon Moon” into Too Short “Blow the Whistle.”
The stage design looked like it was ripped straight out of a Twin Peaks episode with red drapes as a backdrop, candelabras spread all around the stage, and a gorgeous chandelier dangling in the middle. There was a giant grand piano at stage right, a drum kit to the left, and a string of guitars lined up in the back. Because the lineup had about 20 acts to get through, each artist had a limited set of only two songs. But each two-song-set packed a punch celebrating the extraordinary city of Los Angeles.
John C. Reilly, wearing an all-white outfit with a Panama hat and red ascot, appeared at 7PM sharp to provide introductions and list off a couple of fun facts about each act. He was the perfect host with a blend of sincerity and humor, keeping the atmosphere as lighthearted as possible.
Los Angeles natives, Starcrawler were up first and played a stripped-back set including their rather fitting track, “I Love LA.” The fun didn’t stop as Scout Willis, the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, sang beautifully with her unique, raspy voice. The revolving door of guests continued with comedian Reggie Watts performing a short improv set of beatboxing and singing, Juliette Lewis ran through a few blues-rock tunes, The Linda Lindas ripped doing a cover of Best Coast’s “The Only Place,” and that was all within the first hour of the show.
Hour two included sets from Sasami and Rostam, Christopher Owens covered “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson, Perfume Genius stunned on piano, and John C. Reilly graciously called out the VIP balcony section for talking loudly during everyone’s sets. Reilly not only kept the show moving along, but he also kept the crowd in check to ensure the performers were treated with the utmost respect.
LA group, MUNA, had one of the biggest fanbases in attendance. As Katie, Naomi, and Jo walked on stage, the crowd erupted making it seem like they were the headliners of the entire night. MUNA performed two songs, “I Know a Place” and crowd favorite, “Silk Chiffon.” Lucy Dacus followed, also receiving a huge applause, and performed two new songs from her upcoming album, Forever is a Feeling.
A personal highlight was Kevin Morby and Katie Crutchfield, also known as Waxahatchee. Katie had a lovely twang in her voice while Kevin plucked precisely on the acoustic guitar. They are an incredible duo, almost as good as Morby's supposed favorite snack, a PB&J sandwich with scrambled eggs inside.
The overstimulation continued with comedian Fred Armisen performing a brief history of drumming from punk bands like the Ramones and Sonic Youth, to psychobilly like The Cramps, and new-wave such as Devo. Although it was a quick lecture, Armisen was incredibly accurate with his portrayal of each musical era.
From this point, it was evident that each set throughout the evening felt like a love letter to a city where dreams come true and inspiration sparks the brightest. Most of the artists on the lineup found their way to the West Coast in hopes of making it big and telling their story through their art. This benefit show was not only a way to give back to those who lost their homes and businesses in the fires, but the concert served as a way to thank LA and how much it has given each of them.
The last hour of the show held some of the most special moments of the entire night. Courtney Barnett had a stellar set, St. Vincent was shredding on guitar for “Los Ageless,” and Jenny Lewis recruited Pierre de Reeder for a mini Rilo Kiley reunion to play “Let Me Back In” with help from Hayley Williams on backing vocals and Katie Gavin on fiddle. It’s one thing to have such incredible talent on a single lineup, but to have rare musical crossovers like this is a whole other thing.
Easily the most enchanting set was Paramore’s very own, Hayley Williams, with assistance from Ken Andrews of the band, Failure. Green highlights running through the tips of her blond hair, Williams floated on stage to grace the Palladium with two cover songs: “Daylight” by Failure and the second, “All Is Full of Love” by Björk. During the latter, Williams had the crowd chant the chorus as she belted with her powerful vocals, mesmerizing everyone at the Palladium.
After Williams’ set, it seemed like there was no way the night could get any better. But the 13th season winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Symone, performed two Paramore songs as Williams danced around on stage. FINNEAS followed up by performing a couple of solo songs including “Cryin’ Out Loud!” from his latest album. The night’s grand finale was a triumphant singalong of Phantom Planet’s “California,” the theme of the early 2000s show, The O.C. All of the night’s performers joined the band on stage to sing backup in what felt like a “We Are the World” moment for the city of Los Angeles.
From never-heard-before covers to acoustic renditions of beloved songs, a comedic history of drumming to the voice of Wreck-It Ralph as the MC, the G*VE A F*CK LA benefit concert had a little bit for everyone to enjoy. And more than putting on a fantastic show, this was all for a great cause: to aid those who have been affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.
If you are at all in a position to donate, check out the following resources to see how you can help: Friends In Deed, Pasadena Humane, One Voice, and Altadena Girls.
