Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Three weeks ago, as wildfires raged across Los Angeles, there was some question over whether it would be in good taste to proceed with Grammy Weekend, even if it were safe to do so.
Yet with the go-ahead from local officials, the Recording Academy and its broadcast partner CBS quickly decided to proceed with a reduced schedule of events that would be transformed into fund-raising efforts — and the results of that decision became clear on Tuesday morning, as a rep for the Recording Academy tells Variety that it and its charity-focused partner, MusiCares, raised more than $24 million for wildfire relief and other charitable causes, with almost $9 million raised on Grammy Sunday alone.
That reduced schedule included the annual MusiCares fundraising tribute concert on Friday night, this year honoring the Grateful Dead; the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala on Saturday, which was transformed into a fund-raiser; and the Grammy Awards themselves, which featured multiple tributes to emergency workers and the people affected by the wildfires.
The show opened with a performance from the Los Angeles-based rock band Dawes, who lost their homes and all of their equipment in the fires; they performed a cover of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.,” accompanied by Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Brad Paisley and St.
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