In The Grammys’ Decision To Continue Amid La Wildfires

The 2025 Grammys were a vibrant celebration of a vibrant year in music: the year of Chappell, Charli and Sabrina; from Taylor, Beyonce and Billie; from “Brat,” “Tipsy” and “Not Like Us.”

But on Wednesday, January 8, everything changed as wildfires raged through the Grammys’ hometown of Los Angeles. For the third time in five years—after the Covid-Altered shows of 2021 and 2022—the Grammys had to pivot, transforming what is usually an extravagant, glamorous celebration into something more serious and sometimes somber. “I will admit that I was looking forward to a simple show,” says Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, “but on that Wednesday morning it’s all just turned upside down.”

While many people have called for the Feb. 2 show to be postponed — and nearly every Grammy Week celebration was quickly canceled — for Mason and Ben Winston, the show’s executive producer, there was no doubt about moving on. About 6,500 people in the LA area work on major awards, such as the Grammys, which have an estimated impact on the local economy of about $200 million.

“On the one hand, there’s the good we can do with our platform,” Mason says. “But if we were to cancel or postpone the show, how would that affect the thousands of people working on it or around it?”

Winston adds: “After Covid, post-bottom, two [Hollywood industry] Strikes and everything else, try telling those stagehands, costumers, makeup artists, drivers, caterers, PAs and all those working people who make a living from the Grammys that we’re not doing the show. “

So, in what has become a familiar scenario, the recording academy, broadcast partner CBS and Winston’s team are at work. “That Wednesday I started making the calls,” Mason recalls. “I met or zoomed with state leadership, local leadership, fire department officials, heads of tourism, managers of many hotels – and to one person they all said the same thing: ‘You have to do the show – for the city, for the people, for the image of our city open for business. You to have to do it. And also, of course, the music community needed it, for the money that the Musicares event will bring. ”

Musicares, the recording academy’s charitable wing – which paid out more than $25 million in Covid relief during the pandemic – also jumped into action. Not only did it revise its annual Person of the Year Benefit Concert (this year in honor of the Grateful Dead) to be for fire lighting, but it immediately began raising money: at the time of publication, it had raised $3.2 million and distributed $2.2 million.

While many people were initially concerned about Grammy attendees taking hotel rooms from locals who had lost their homes, local hotels were at just 30% occupancy as of last week, according to the city’s tourism chief for the marketing district and CEO of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. This was likely due to the fire-induced decline in tourism and hotels not being a viable long-term option for local residents.

On January 13, the Academy officially announced that the show was moving forward. Mason says: “The only reason we would have canceled or postponed is if it was physically and logistically impossible to hold the show – if the fire department said it’s not safe, or the police said we would overload their infrastructure , or the local The government did not say that. “

Yet he is just as clear about what the show will do not BE: It’s neither a fundraiser nor a benefit, but “a show that raises money,” he insists. “It won’t be a telethon, and you’re not going [chyron with a] run completely over the bottom of the screen; It’s not that kind of event. It’s an opportunity for us to use our platform – and thankfully our partners at CBS are helpful in this – to raise money and awareness, but it will still have achievements and prizes.

‘It’s going to be different, but I wouldn’t say so dramatic different,” he continues. ‘We have a different tone. There will be discussion and segments around the fire and fundraising components. We will still have performances, we will still have awards and honor music. But you will know that something happened and you will know that we use music to do good. “

Balancing gravitas with celebration is a familiar challenge for these teams and returning host Trevor Noah, and the Covid-era Grammys introduced several elements that have remained, like the celebrity-filled tables at the front of the arena, which started with the intimate , Invite Only, Partially Socially Distanced 2021 Show; There will also be relatively long, commercial segments of the ceremony. Still, Winston notes that this year’s pivot hasn’t caused a complete overhaul.

“It’s not a brand new show,” he says. “We haven’t canceled any shows, although there are a few new ones and a few artists have changed their songs. But I think it’s our job to set the tone, not the artists’. It’s still the Grammys, we still have incredible performances and awards from the people who made the music that moved us this past year, and I think now. But we are very aware of the devastation that has happened in LA and what is going on in the wider world, and we will reflect that. “

However, the Academy has decided to “condense” its usual dozen-plus Grammy Week events and instead focus on four, all of which have added a firefighter element: Musicares, the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala, the Special Merit Awards, and the show itself. A small number of non-Academy Grammy Week events, such as the two All-Star Fireaid concerts taking place at the Forum and Intuit Arena on Thursday and a few others, will include firefighting elements.

“No event was more or less important than others,” says Mason, “but we are aware that some of the same people go to many of these events, and instead of eight or nine fundraising events, it could make more sense of focusing our efforts on those where many people can come together to do the most good.”

Winston insists he understands why most of the usual parties, brunches and dinners of the week have been cancelled. “I think one party is different,” he says. “Having hors d’oeuvres and champagne when there are people on the road facing devastation can be deafening. But I think the Grammy show itself is very different and can make a difference. ”

Indeed, Mason concludes, “When I see people and friends who have lost their studio, lost their home, lost their instruments, lost their ability to make a living, after all the struggle and struggle that people in this community have taken over the community For the last five years I’ve been saying we should do whatever we can to be helpful. That means raising money, raising awareness and hopefully allowing Musicares to have the financial resources it’s going to take to support the thousands and thousands of people who need help – not just this week or next week, but for years to come. ”

But as fires continue to rage in La County, a grim reality remains: The situation could turn dire again at any time. “Every time I speak, I always use that as a caveat,” Mason says. “If it gets worse, all bets are off.”

To see Musicares.org For ways you can help the music community with wildfire relief.