Kicking off the show, host Trevor Noah paid tribute to LA, highlighting all the ways the West Coast city has impacted, influenced, and inspired musical icons and moments. After all, as Noah noted, LA is the city where brother/sister duo Billie Eilish and Finneas first started making music together in their Highland Park childhood home, where rapper Snoop Dogg first rapped about “Gin and Juice,” and where new-age pop princess Chappell Roan visited the music venues and clubs that would inspire some of her greatest hits. Following Noah’s monologue, local music legends like John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, St. Vincent, and Brittany Howard joined LA folk band Dawes — brothers Taylor Goldsmith and brother Griffin Goldsmith who were personally affected by the Eaton fire — to perform the aptly-titled “I Love LA.” The Randy Newman song was a fitting homage that managed to pay tribute to the city and showcase the resilience of the city and its people.
