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Despite not performing at Fire Aid, the LA wildfire relief concert, U2 made their presence known with their donation.
During the show, Billy Crystal announced that U2 was behind the first donation of the FireAid concert (per The Journal). They donated $1 million to LA wildfire relief efforts. The donation will actually be worth double that, as Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie promised to match all of the donations made during the broadcast.
This was a big move made by U2, who were unable to perform at the show. They are known for their humanitarian work, and this was another example of it. U2 recently donated to UNLV College of Fine Arts.
What is Fire Aid?
Fire Aid was a benefit concert to support the LA wildfire relief efforts. There were two concerts, one at the Intuit Dome and another at the Kia Forum. Both concerts were held on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gracie Abrams, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Peso Pluma, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Sting, and Tate McRae performed at the Intuit Dome show.
The Kia Forum show was headlined by Green Day, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Anderson .Paak, Dawes, Raham Nash, John Fogerty, No Doubt, P!nk, Stephen Stills, and The Black Crowes.
Were U2 at Fire Aid?
U2 was not at Fire Aid to perform. However, they previously performed at Live Aid in 1985. The benefit concert was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for the Ethiopia famine.
U2's performance is one of the most notable of the London show. They first performed “Sunday Bloody Sunday” from their War album to open their set.
However, their second song, “Bad,” lasted 12 minutes. Bono went down to the crowd to save fans in the front rows. However, they were unable to perform the third song of their set, “Pride (In the Name of Love),” as a result of the elongated “Bad” performance.
They are coming off their first-ever concert residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their residency concluded on March 2, 2024, after 40 shows at the new high-tech venue.
The residency, titled U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, was centered around their 1991 album, Achtung Baby. They played the album in full for the first time ever, including deep cuts like “So Cruel.”
Currently, they are likely working on their next album. The Edge and Adam Clayton have talked about their upcoming work, with the former teasing that a new song could potentially be coming “very soon.”
They are finally back in the studio with Larry Mullen Jr. He missed their Sphere residency due to his recovery from injuries. Bram van den Berg filled in for him.
U2 is due for a new album. Their last album of original material came out in 2017, that being Songs of Experience. It was the second entry in the “Songs of” series after Songs of Innocence. Songs of Surrender followed in 2023. It is a collection of 40 songs from their past albums that were re-recorded in new arrangements.
