The musical benefits to support the people in Los Angeles who were affected by the devastating fires earlier this year in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, keep coming.
Last week (3/16) at the historic United Theater on Broadway, Peter Asher, Maria Bamford, Margaret Cho, Al Jardine, Neil Hamburger, Eric Idle, Paul Shaffer, Nancy Sinatra, Reggie Watts, Rufus Wainwright, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and others gathered for the comically-named Let’s Get L.Aid wildfire benefit.
100% of the net proceeds went to support local organizations including Altadena Girls, Friends in Deed, One Voice, and the Pasadena Humane Society. Both the venue fees and the ticketing fees were waived.
For the last decade, the venue was called The Theatre at Ace Hotel, but when the hotel went bankrupt, it moved out leaving behind a 100-year-old somewhat-recently renovated jewel. Last year it reopened under the new, generic, name. Groups like The Magnetic Fields, Cat Power, and Morrissey have performed there since the refresh.
Built in 1927 at the behest of the founders of United Artists (Mary Pickford, D.W. Griffiths, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks), the theater is a masterful example of Spanish Colonial Revival style whose ornate exterior features boast towers, decorative showy arches, and intricate carvings whose faces see all, so watch it mister.
In the 10 years it went as The Theatre at the Ace, Dawes, She & Him, Seu Jorge, Tim & Eric performed there four times. But Wilco beat all of the 550+ artists who lit up that stage during that period, by playing the venue seven times.
Here are some of the highlights from last week's benefit.
Nancy Sinatra "These Boots Are Made For Walking"
In two months, Nancy Sinatra will turn 85 years old. The eldest daughter of Ol' Blue Eyes dropped her sassy hit in 1965 and has been singing it ever since.
Last week she needed a cane to saunter out to the mic but as she did she got a huge cheer from the capacity crowd who sang along.
Almost exactly a year ago, Beyoncé sampled a snippet of Sinatra's signature hit for a tune on her Cowboy Carter album and Nancy was tickled.
"To have a little piece of one of my records in a Beyonce song is very meaningful to me because I love her," Sinatra tweeted. "She represents what is great about today’s music and I’m delighted to be a tiny part of it. This may be the best sample of 'Boots' yet!"
Puddles Pity Party "Free Fallin'" featuring Tim Heidecker and "Weird" Al Yankovic
Puddles, the stoic, melancholy clown has a knack for bringing seriousness (and sometimes gloom) to a cover song, mostly played the Tom Petty staple straight.
Accompanied by Tim Heidecker (of the aforementioned Tim & Eric) on electric guitar and Weird Al behind him on accordion, Puddles sang the tune about life in the San Fernando Valley which rests in between where the fires raged in January. Al provided the comic relief and stole the spotlight with his overplaying and eagerness to sing background.
Eric Idle "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"
It takes a very brave comic to sing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" to an audience who may have just lost everything they own just a few months ago.
But Eric Idle, who came to fame via Monty Python's Flying Circus is not only brave, but hilarious, and the comedic tune sung in the film "The Life of Brian" from a crucifix is the epitome of the darkest of humor.
Idle has only performed the tune 22 times live on stage. The audience that night were lucky indeed.
Weird Al, "I Love LA"
If there's one way to ingratiate Los Angelenos, especially sports fans, it's to play the Randy Newman hit, "I Love LA." The jovial tune from Newman's 1983 album Trouble in Paradise is played at the end of every Laker and Dodger victory and has taken a life of its own this century.
"Hate New York City / It's cold and it's damp / And all the people dress like / Monkeys" is a diss the Big Apple never seemed to rebound from. Has there been a reply while praising the hometown?
Al, who famously was attending college in San Luis Obispo when he sent a tape to Dr. Demento in Culver City, should have nothing but love for LA, as he was born in nearby Downey in 1959, the year the Dodgers won their first World Series in their new home.
"Weird Al" hits the road this summer around North America with Puddles for the Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour.
The fun begins in June with a slew of dates in Vegas. It goes on through the end of September with stops at places like the Kia Forum, Madison Square Garden, and the Alaska State Fair.
Get your tickets on Al's website.
