The 67th annual Grammy Awards kicked off with host Trevor Noah acknowledging the wildfires that roared through Pacific Palisades and Altadena in January.
What’s unusual is our circumstances this evening,” Noah told the crowd inside Crypto.com Arena as he walked toward the stage. “This city has just been through one of the largest natural disasters in American history.
“Thankfully, due to the heroic effort of firefighters, the fires have now been contained,” he continued as the arena erupted in cheers for first responders. “And despite all the devastation, the spirit of the city has emerged.
“It’s often said that in the darkest times, the best of humanity shines through, and the people of Los Angeles are a perfect example of that,” Noah said, explaining how the show would celebrate not just the award winners but the city of Los Angeles and its music.
“L.A. was the city where Snoop first mixed gin and juice,” Noah joked after name-checking L.A. artists such as Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell, Chappell Roan and Steve Wonder.
He then introduced Dawes, whose brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith lost homes and their studio in Altadena’s blaze, backed by John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard and St. Vincent.
As Dawes and its supergroup of backing players launched into Randy Newman’s “I Love LA,” scenes of the recent fires screen behind them. At one point, Taylor Goldsmith sang, “Look at these firefighters, there ain’t nothing like them nowhere” – swapping in “firefighters” for Newman’s original “women” – and the cheering crescendoed.
After a round of more traditional jokes, Billie Eilish and Finneas kicked off the performances for the show, performing in front of a backdrop reminiscent of the Southern California mountains.
Then, Noah announced that since so many small businesses in the region have suffered losses in the fires, the Grammys decided to give some exposure through free ad spots during the show.
The first of those to air featured Renata Ortega, founder of Orla Floral Studio in Altadena, who lost both her home and business, and featured a cameo appearance from Los Angeles-raised singer Doja Cat.