Billie Eilish and Green Day kick off benefit concert for LA fires

Billie Eilish and Green Day kicked off the FireAid benefit concert in Los Angeles on Thursday night - a two-venue, five-hour extravaganza raising money for wildfire relief efforts.

Actor Billy Crystal welcomed the crowd at the Kia Forum, wearing the clothes he had on when he escaped the Pacific Palisades fire earlier this month. He had lived in the area for 46 years and spoke poignantly about losing his home.

An hour and a half later, acts began taking to the state at the Intuit Dome too with the online broadcast switching seamlessly between the two venues.

A number of the stars who performed have ties to the region. California native Katy Perry waved the state's flag during hits including the anthemic Roar and California Gurls.

No Doubt - from nearby Orange County - performed tracks including I'm Just A Girl and Don't Speak.

One of the biggest surprises was a reunion for another 90s act: Nirvana. Band members Pat Smear, Krist Novoselic and Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl performed with a series of guest female vocalists.

Their set started with St Vincent as the frontwoman, before Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, Joan Jett and Grohl's singer daughter Violet each joined them on stage.

Dr Dre also made a unexpected appearance alongside Anderson .Paak and Sheila E, and covered Still DRE and the classic California Love.

Joni Mitchell, Pink, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Olivia Rodrigo are also among those who have performed.

Behind the performers, images of firefighters and the devastation wrought by the fires appeared on screen. Survivors also spoke about losing their homes and escaping the fires in between sets.

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Former US vice president Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were among those attending the Intuit Dome concert.

Mr Emhoff shared a picture of himself and his wife in their seats on Instagram, alongside the caption: "Kamala and I are grateful to be at the FireAid concert tonight in our hometown of Los Angeles.

"It is a wonderful night that shows the strength and resilience of our city as we begin to recover and rebuild from the devastating wildfires."

Audiences at home can donate online. Early in the concert, Crystal revealed that the band U2 contributed $1m (£804,829).

The owner of the basketball team the Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie, will match all donations made during the concert.

All proceeds will go to those affected by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires earlier in the month.

Some 29 people died in the fires, with thousands more homes and businesses destroyed.

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