The China Mail - Pre-Grammys gala honoring the Grateful Dead focuses on fire relief

The 34th annual MusiCares Person of the Year gala -- which benefits the charitable wing of the Recording Academy, behind the Grammys -- honored the psychedelic jam band as it raised more than $5 million in one evening.

The sum brings its total funds raised since the fires broke out in early January to more than $9 million, organizers said.

The broader mission of MusiCares involves offering a parachute for artists and other workers in the precarious US music industry, providing assistance for physical and mental health, addiction recovery and human services including basic living expenses like rent.

"So many people who work in music have no safety net. They are living paycheck to paycheck, and they are incredibly vulnerable," Theresa Wolters, MusiCare's vice president of health and human services, told AFP in an interview prior to the gala.

As of January 28, she said the organization had received nearly 3,000 claims related to the Los Angeles fires -- a number that's on top of the assistance requests MusiCares normally receives.

She noted that the disastrous fires came on the heels of deadly hurricanes that hit southern and eastern regions of the United States last year, and also led to a surge in need.

Wolters explained that typically the organization's immediate emergency aid includes $1,500 in financial assistance and a $500 grocery card, and longer-term support can include help with insurance deductibles, medical bills, rent or musical instrument replacement.

Private forecaster AccuWeather has estimated the total damage and economic loss from the fires at between $250 billion and $275 billion.

- 'Give some back' -

Donors Friday night included Dead member Bob Weir, who raised his paddle during an auction-style donation round before settling in to hear a wide range of tributes to the vast influence of his band.

The Grateful Dead members, including icon Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, were key figures in the counterculture that began in the 1960s.

The band that was beloved for never performing the same show twice revolutionized fan engagement, as followers recorded and swapped bootleg tapes of the concerts in a communal, drug-addled camp environment.

Friday evening featured a number of cuts from the band's extensive catalogue, including Norah Jones with a twangy, slowed-down rendition of the classic "Ripple," and Vampire Weekend with "Scarlet Begonias." Sammy Hagar of Montrose and Van Halen meanwhile brought the crowd to its feet for "Loose Lucy."

John Mayer -- who for years has been playing with the band Dead & Company, which includes former Dead members Weir, Hart and Kreutzmann -- had the audience rapt with an impressive version of "Terrapin Station."

And he took the stage again as the honorees joined him to perform a trio of all-timers to close the night: "Althea," "Sugar Magnolia" and "Touch of Grey."

"Longevity was never a major concern of ours; lighting folks up and spreading joy through the music was all we really had in mind, and we got plenty of that done," said Weir in accepting the honor.

He also emphasized the night's mission in quoting his bandmate Garcia: "All along, my old pal Jerry used to say, 'You get some, you give some back.'"

H.Au--ThChM