THE AFTERMATH OF ALTER EGO

Monday morning I had my monthly meeting with iHeart’s Lisa Worden. I brought in assorted pastries, as I always do, and we went through the logistics of the ALTer Ego show, which was taking place on Saturday at the Forum. My biggest concern was access to the Forum Club—that’s how well everything was set up. The Lumineers had a fantastic slot on the show, a few days after the release of their new single, and everything was perfect.

I was excited to see Glass Animals, St. Vincent, Damiano David and The Head and the Heart, along with Incubus, The Offspring, Cage the Elephant and Fontaines D.C. ALTer Ego has always been one of my favorite nights of the year, and Lisa had put together an epic show. The excitement among the iHeart staffers and my label friends was palpable.

Wednesday night, Lisa called to tell me she was canceling the show. At that point, the Sunset fire had erupted, and the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon fires were out of control. Could the bands booked to play be alerted before they traveled to L.A.? In any case, it was 100% the right thing to do.

Glass Animals had just arrived in Los Angeles, and The Lumineers had flown in from a festival in Mexico, only to travel south to San Diego once they heard that Jimmy Kimmel Live!, on which they were scheduled to play on Thursday, had canceled. Cage the Elephant had yet to board their domestic flight. Damiano David and Fontaines D.C. were told of the cancellation before boarding their flights to L.A. and were able to stay in Italy and Ireland, respectively.

The priority now is to bring attention to the firefighters and other first responders and help those who have lost everything these past few days. Lisa will put together other events this year, and we will help.

In the meantime, pay attention to the winds (a new surge is forecast for this weekend) and do what you can to help your community. Deliver pre-packaged food to your local fire station. Donate barely worn or new clothes to The Coop at 7278 Beverly Blvd., which is offering clothing to the newly displaced. A Google doc that lists 122 people in the business who lost everything, along with their GoFundMe info, is being circulated. Donate what you can to help our friends get back on their feet.

House as many people as you can (my Pasadena cousins are here, along with their two dogs). And please, be safe.