Taking the stage at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome on Thursday night (Jan. 30), breakout singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams shared a sentiment that permeated the crowd at the FireAid benefit concert with a performance of her hit song “I Love You, I’m Sorry.”
Wearing a floor-length white lace gown, Abrams appeared alongside The National’s Aaron Dessner, each with a guitar in hand to perform a moving acoustic rendition of the Billboard Hot 100 hit off last year’s The Secret of Us. With the audience eagerly singing along, Abrams briefly teared up as she reached the final chorus. “The way life goes/ Joyriding down our road,” she sang. “Lay on the horn to prove that it haunts me/ I love you, I’m sorry.”
Abrams then took a moment to address the crowd directly, sharing that she could relate to those affected by the Palisades Fire. “I grew up in the Palisades, and my heart is with all of my neighbors. We are so grateful and blown away by all the firefighters who put their lives on the line to protect all of us,” she said. “This [concert] is just such a beautiful reflection of what music does to bring us all together.”
Instead of going for another original track, Abrams instead opted to sing “a love song to Los Angeles,” as she called it — Counting Crows’ 1996 hit “A Long December.” Taking on the classic track, Abrams and Dessner found new meaning for the song’s haunting-but-hopeful lyrics. “It’s been a long December and there’s reason to believe/ Maybe this year will be better than the last,” she belted near the end of her performance.
Along with Abrams, the FireAid benefit concerts featured a packed slate of guest performers — including Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Stevie Nicks, Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Jelly Roll and plenty of others — coming together to raise funds for those affected by the wildfires that decimated the Los Angeles area earlier this month. Split across two venues (L.A.’s Kia Forum and Intuit Dome), the event pledged all proceeds to aiding displaced families and helping rebuild Los Angeles’ infrastructure.
