Billie Eilish, Dr Dre, Katy Perry, Pink and Joni Mitchell perform at benefit concert

Stars including Billie Eilish, Pink, Katy Perry, Nirvana and Dr Dre performed at FireAid on Thursday, a benefit concert in Los Angeles to help the area recover from two of the largest fires in its history.

More than 20 artists from various genres took to the stage for the five-hour show, which is happening simultaneously at two large venues in the city and raising money for wildfire relief efforts.

Actor Billy Crystal welcomed the crowd at the Kia forum, wearing clothes he had on when he escaped the Pacific Palisades fire earlier this month.

“You’ll be hearing from a number of people who were tragically affected by these fires, and I was one of them,” Crystal said as he opened the show.

He had lived in the area for 46 years and spoke poignantly about losing his home.

Crystal joked that he looked like someone who had just robbed a convenience store, adding that it was important to find moments of humour amid the devastation.

Shortly after the show began at the Kia Forum, a second concert also kicked off at the Intuit Dome, with the online stream switching between the two venues. Many of the artists who performed are from or based in Los Angeles.

California native Katy Perry waved the state’s flag as she performed hits such as California Gurls.

Other stars taking to the stage included No Doubt, from Orange County, and Dr Dre, who performed his anthem California Love, a collaboration with the late 2Pac.

“This is a magical moment for me. I’ve got so much love, you guys… I appreciate all the first responders and all the firemen who put their lives on the line. It’s all about love for me today,” the rapper said.

Eilish duetted with rock band Green Day for a performance of Last Night on Earth. The band’s frontman Billie Joe Armstrong told the crowd: “We’re still alive, this is California, and we’re all in this together.

“From the bottom of our hearts, we love you Los Angeles, and we got your back no matter what.”

Later, Eilish was joined by her brother Finneas to perform her own hits including Wildflower and Birds of a Feather.

Elsewhere, Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks dedicated her Landslide performance to the firefighters who saved her home, and in doing so, likely saved her whole block.

“I was a full-on Pacific Palisadean woman with an old, beautiful, famous house that was almost taken from me as the fire came up the hill behind my house,” Nicks recalled.

“And I was pretty sure, as they whisked me away and evacuated me – my least favorite word now – to another safe place, that when I turned around and looked my house would be up in flames.”

But, the singer said her house “stands strong, just like [me]. And in my opinion, she saved that whole street.”

Actor Samuel L Jackson also made an appearance, praising the first responders as he introduced the crowd to a firefighter who lost his home in the blaze.

The actor then introduced the next musical guest, Rod Stewart, who performed Forever Young and Maggie May.

Alanis Morisette wore an “I Love LA” T-shirt and performed her hit Thank U, which carried a sentiment of gratitude towards firefighters and other key workers.

The remaining members of 90s rock band Nirvana, Dave Grohl, Pat Smear and Krist Novoselic also reunited with a series of guest female vocalists such as St Vincent and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon.

Other stars appearing at the two shows include Olivia Rodrigo, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gracie Abrams, Sting and Tate McRae.

Joni Mitchell, 81, made a rare public appearance, performing a rendition of Both Sides Now while sitting ona gold throne.

“Mitchell’s observation that ‘something’s lost but something’s gained in living every day’ was met with a huge cheer. It felt like a dose of regal perspective from one of the all-time greats,” said the Telegraph’s James Hall in his review of the concert.

“The song was recorded in LA. And this is where this concert was most effective. The host of songs recorded in, or written about, LA reminded us about the place’s musical pedigree and what could all too easily be lost.”

Red Hot Chilli Peppers performed their hit Under The Bridge, a paean to Los Angeles, with lyrics such as “the city, she loves me” taking on a new poignancy.

The night concluded with a performance from Lady Gaga, who delivered a powerful performance of her hit Shallow from the 2018 film A Star Is Born.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris was one of the famous faces spotted in the crowd at the Intuit Dome.

Her husband Doug Emhoff shared a picture taken inside the Intuit Dome on Instagram, with the caption: “Kamala and I are grateful to be at the FireAid concert tonight in our hometown of Los Angeles.

“It is a wonderful night that shows the strength and resilience of our city as we begin to recover and rebuild from the devastating wildfires.”

Audiences watching the show were encouraged to donate online. Early in the concert, Crystal revealed that the band U2 had contributed $1m (£804,829).

Proceeds from the concert and donations during the show will go toward rebuilding communities and preventing future fires in the region.

At least 29 people died and more than 16,000 homes and businesses were destroyed in the fast-spreading, destructive fires that broke out in early January.

Viewers will be able to donate money to relief efforts during the show, either by text message or via the FireAidLA website.

Donations will be overseen by the Annenberg Foundation, focusing on both short-term relief efforts and long-term fire prevention projects.

Additionally, Connie and Steve Ballmer – who own the LA Clippers basketball team, as well as the Intuit Dome and Forum – will match all donations made during the broadcast.

The Palisades and Eaton fires became the largest fires ever seen in the LA area earlier this month. Both erupted on 7 January as the region saw a strong wind event, making the small blazes in brushy, mountainous areas hard to contain.

Embers travelled miles, igniting whole communities and levelling neighbourhoods.

Nearly 7,000 structures were levelled in the Palisades fire in northwest LA. Another 9,400 were destroyed in the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County. The fires also claimed a number of victims.