The 2025 Grammys didn’t simply point out the Los Angeles fires that devastated town over most of January. The televised ceremony made fireplace aid central to the present because it broadcast numerous performances, handed out awards to at this time’s high music artists over 4 hours, and, as host Trevor Noah revealed towards the present’s finish, raised $7 million for aid efforts.
Because the ceremony broadcast from the Crypto.com Area in Los Angeles on Sunday, the present’s producers and A-list musicians, actors and celebrities honored Angelenos and people impacted by the fires, beginning with Noah celebrating the spirit of L.A. in his opening monologue and the folk-rock band Dawes opening the ceremony with an all-star model of Randy Newman’s traditional, “I Love L.A.” The band greater than doubled in dimension as they had been joined by Grammy-winning artists Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard, John Legend, Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent backing them up throughout the greatest efficiency of the band’s profession but.
Dawes, a local to L.A., has had numerous members and incarnations over the previous 15 years however the outfit now consists of brothers Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith. Mixed they misplaced their dwelling, dwelling studio and far of the band’s musical tools within the L.A. fires final month. The Eaton Hearth took Griffin’s dwelling in Altadena, the realm of town most severely impacted by that lethal and historic blaze. Taylor is husband to actress-singer Mandy Moore.
“One factor that’s laborious to convey to anybody who isn’t there’s the extent of destruction and the way whole it’s in Altadena,” Griffin informed the press, together with The Hollywood Reporter, backstage on the Grammys. “It’s immense and it’s laborious to inform simply from the photographs we’re seeing on-line of how huge the toll is.”
The band’s star-studded and crowd-pleasing efficiency was simply the highest of the Grammys, which landed with an pressing objective this yr after the large fires ate 57,000 acres of land and destroyed over 10,000 buildings. This yr, the awards are elevating funds to help Los Angeles wildfire aid efforts, and taking moments to have a look at and mirror upon the bravery and dedication of L.A.’s first responders who risked their lives towards unimaginable odds to quell the a number of figures that started on Jan. 7 and are lastly contained.
All through the present, the Palisades and Altadena communities devastated by the fires had been constantly talked about in speeches, whereas town of L.A. was honored in performances, and shuttered or impacted native companies had been featured in adverts every business break. Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan ended their performances early within the evening by professing their love for L.A., whereas Kendrick Lamar devoted his later win for report of the yr to the neighborhoods of L.A.
“Compton, Watts, Lengthy Seashore, Inglewood, Hollywood, out to the Valley, Pacoima, the IE, San Bernardino, all that,” Lamar informed the group. “That is my neck of the woods, that held me down … since I used to be within the studio scraping to write down the very best raps and all that, as a way to do data like these. So I can’t give sufficient thanks to those locations that I’ve rolled round since highschool. Most significantly, the individuals and the households out within the Palisades and Altadena. That is the true testomony that we are able to proceed to revive town.”
Grammys organizers had mentioned Wednesday that Sunday evening would come with a salute to the late Quincy Jones and moments “celebrating the spirit of town of Los Angeles” within the wake of the wildfires. Whereas honoring the legendary producer, who died in November, residing legends Stevie Marvel and Herbie Hancock had been joined by college students impacted by the fires when the Pasadena Waldorf College and Palisades Constitution Excessive College choirs appeared on stage donning sweatshirts with “L.A.” imprinted over a crimson coronary heart, alongside the soul and jazz heroes. The Eaton fireplace impacted 5 colleges within the Pasadena Unified College District.
After Noah mentioned the fires in his opening section and confirmed a clip reel of the devastation, he had launched an accompanying QR code onscreen and urged these within the room and watching at dwelling to donate. The QR code reappeared all through the present, with Noah calling out a number of the firms making donations.
Probably the most poignant tribute to L.A. got here on the finish of the evening — forward of Beyoncé being awarded the coveted album of the yr Grammy — when members of the L.A. County fireplace departments had been introduced to the stage. After the thunderous and emotional applause settled, L.A. County Hearth Chief Anthony Marrone and L.A. County fireplace captain Sheila Kelliher Berkoh took to the mic.
“Wow, thanks,” mentioned Marrone, who thanked the primary responders who got here close to and much, in addition to the viewers for his or her star-studded welcome, and shared condolences for many who misplaced family members, houses and companies within the fires. “Thanks for supporting all of us and recognizing the heroes standing behind me, and the she-roes. … I’m assured that we are going to get better and we’ll rebuild collectively as a result of we’re L.A. sturdy.”
The Recording Academy and MusiCares have distributed over $4 million in emergency assist to just about 3,000 music professionals affected by the wildfires, in response to a launch despatched to THR on Sunday. This has been achieved in partnership with Direct Reduction, the California Neighborhood Basis and the Pasadena Neighborhood Basis to help town of Los Angeles.
The Grammys, a significant annual affair in Los Angeles, noticed most of the typical previous occasions canceled or reformatted to assist Angelenos in want of assist after the large fires tore via elements of town.
The Hollywood Reporter shared a roundup of the various crimson carpet appears forward of the ceremony. See all of the winners right here.
