Just as FireAid hit the five-hour mark, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas turned down the volume for an acoustic set as the night neared its end.
Eilish had already made a cameo to set off the event earlier in the evening, appearing with Green Day to duet on “Last Night on Earth.” After an introduction from Sting, she took a seat on a stool in the middle of the stage. “What’s going on? Hi guys,” she said. “Thanks for being here, thank you for having me, I feel very lucky to be here. This is my brother. We’re going to do some little acoustic songs, they’ll be chill so if you want to sit or whatever, you can.”
For her own set, she harmonized with Finneas on “Wildflower” and “The Greatest,” taking a moment to share just how special the moment was to them both. “It’s a really, really scary time and it’s been so devastating and LA is my favorite place in the world and my only home,” she said. “My brother and I grew up here and live here and it’s the greatest place in the world and I care about it so much and it’s been so devastating what’s going on. So to everyone who is experiencing this, I love you and I got you and we will not forget about you and we’re going to keep doing this for you.”
She finished with “Birds of a Feather,” which is up for record and song of the year, as well as best pop solo performance, at the Grammy Awards this Sunday. A nine-time winner, she’s contending for seven total awards this year for “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” which is also up for album of the year and best pop vocal album.
FireAid featured a mix of performances at Ingelwood’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum, benefitting relief efforts for those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires that burned through much of the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and Malibu. Proceeds will be directed toward relief initiatives via the Annenberg Foundation. Viewers were also able to make donations.