For the music industry, the Grammy Awards are not just one night. They’re not even a weekend. Usually, the annual celebration includes an entire week of pre-Grammy parties, brunches, showcases and any event that facilitates schmoozing in a parking lot in a dark suit and a pair of Vans.
Not this year. Although the Grammys made the decision to go on with the show as planned, despite the still-fresh impact of the wildfires that devastated large portions of Los Angeles, most of the parties were canceled, telegraphing the potential for a more solemn gathering.
The Recording Academy kept its two primary pre-Grammy events on the calendar: the MusiCares tribute concert, benefiting a Grammy charity that helps musicians in need, and Clive Davis’s annual night-before gala at the Beverly Hilton, where the stars, elbow to elbow at ballroom tables, take in performances and long, long speeches.
At both events, the mood was … normal. Sort of. Music professionals hobnobbed, hugged, nibbled hors d’oeuvres. At the MusiCares event on Friday, a tribute to the Grateful Dead with Norah Jones, Wynonna Judd, Noah Kahan, John Mayer — a longtime member of Dead & Company — and many others, people dressed like the Dead’s signature multicolored bears danced playfully through the crowd, as attendees took selfies, cocktails in hand.
But fund-raising for fire relief became the underlying motivation behind the events, giving them a sense of purpose, or at least a justification. In a speech, Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead guitarist, hit the notes that seemed to echo in every official communication of the weekend: perseverance and resilience for Los Angeles, with help from the entertainment industry.
“What we have here in SoCal these days, is a rebuild that’s going to take some time and effort, and an immense amount of teamwork,” Weir said. “My guess is it’s going to take a few years, but SoCal will be back, stronger and shinier.”
The somber yet celebratory tone had been set Thursday with FireAid, a benefit concert unaffiliated with the Grammys that featured Billie Eilish, Green Day, Olivia Rodrigo, Joni Mitchell, surviving members of Nirvana and many more — the lineup was so big, it took over two arenas, the Intuit Dome and the Kia Forum.
“As far as I’m concerned,” Anderson .Paak told the FireAid crowd at the Forum, “this is one of the greatest nights in Los Angeles history.”
It continued on Saturday night at Davis’s gala, which he has held since 1976, when Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” was the first hit at Arista, the new label founded by Davis. At 92, the longtime executive and producer remains a symbol of continuity for the industry.
As always, the event was packed with celebrities and boldface names, including Nancy Pelosi, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Berry Gordy of Motown and the CBS personality Gayle King; at one table, “Weird Al” Yankovic rubbed shoulders with Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend.
The night’s performances began with a rock supergroup led by Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes — along with Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Robert Trujillo of Metallica and the producer Andrew Watt — playing Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath covers. It went on with Post Malone, a Quincy Jones tribute by Michael Bublé, the rapper Doechii and, following her appearance at FireAid, Mitchell, seated on a throne, singing her song “Both Sides Now” and the Gershwin standard “Summertime.”
QR codes flashed on screens throughout the ballroom, with messages urging attendees to donate money to fire recovery efforts.
“The Recording Academy and I decided to transform this evening, along with tomorrow’s Grammy Awards telecast, into a fund-raiser for MusiCares,” Davis said in a speech. He added: “We must acknowledge the pain, the loss and the devastation of the wildfires that befell Los Angeles earlier this month.”
