Starry night benefit helps victims

Celebs gather at King Gillette Ranch



ON STAGE—Far left, Gwen Stefani leads the crowd in song at the Dec. 2 One Love Malibu Festival. Above, Katie Perry with her fans.

ON STAGE—Far left, Gwen Stefani leads the crowd in song at the Dec. 2 One Love Malibu Festival. Above, Katie Perry with her fans.

Two weeks ago, Joe Rickabaugh returned to his Seminole Springs neighborhood to sift through the remains of his home. The Woolsey fire had reduced it to ashes.

Last Sunday, the mood was much brighter as Rickabaugh appeared at King Gillette Ranch near Calabasas to watch pop megastars Gwen Stefani and Katy Perry perform at the One Love Malibu Festival, an exclusive, celebrity-laden event that was put on to raise money for the fire victims.

The show offered a brief but meaningful respite for Rickabaugh, a lifeguard and surf instructor who saw his life go up in flames during the Nov. 9 fire.

All told, the Dec. 2 concert raised $1 million for the Malibu Foundation, which will use the funds to support families who lost homes and/or property in all Woolsey fire burn areas, not just Malibu.

In addition to Perry and Stefani, Sunday’s star-studded lineup featured Robin Thicke, Natasha Bedingfield, Alanis Morissette, Joe Walsh, Rick Springfield, Rita Ora and Macy Gray. All performed in an intimate outdoor setting across Las Virgenes Road from Malibu Creek State Park, which remains closed due to fire damage.

Photos by JOSEPH A. GARCIA/Acorn Newspapers

Photos by JOSEPH A. GARCIA/Acorn Newspapers

The stage was framed by grand oak trees in front of the ranch’s creek, and the audience watched the performance from a series of blankets set up within a ring of airstream trailers. General admission tickets were $250 and blanket reservations ranged from $750 to $3,750. Airstream trailer and private viewing area reservations fetched between $25,000 and $35,000.

Money was also raised through a Christie’s live auction at the event.

Perry did her part to support the fundraising effort when she bid $50,000 for a date with her boyfriend, Orlando Bloom, beating out a concertgoer who offered $20,000 for a motorcycle ride with the British actor.

Rickabaugh wasn’t the only fire victim in attendance. Actor Gerard Butler, whose home was destroyed by the Woolsey fire, was in the audience, and Thicke, who performed “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” also lost his Malibu home to last month’s blaze—which destroyed over 650 structures in the beachside community as the fire raged toward the sea.

CELEBRITY SELFIES—Above, fans look for a photo op with singer Katy Perry. Right, concert-goer Angel Haze receives a hug from Dorothy Martin, lead singer of the group, also named Dorothy.

CELEBRITY SELFIES—Above, fans look for a photo-op with singer Katy Perry. Right, concert-goer Angel Haze receives a hug from Dorothy Martin, lead singer of the group, also named Dorothy.

Music producer Linda Perry, former lead singer of 4 Non Blondes, organized the event in 12 days. She told The Acorn after the festival that Thicke was the first artist who signed on to perform.

The Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee said she knew multiple people who lost their homes and cherished music memorabilia to the flames. She said the concert was about moving forward.

“It’s about us getting together as a community and just helping,” the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter said.

Sound system giant JBL, along with Live Nation and Roland, an electronic musical instrument manufacturer, helped make the event possible, Linda Perry said.

David Glaubke is a communications manager for Harman, the parent company of JBL with offices in Northridge.

Photos by JOSEPH A. GARCIA Acorn Newspapers

Photos by JOSEPH A. GARCIA Acorn Newspapers

The Thousand Oaks resident said many of Harman’s employees live in the Conejo Valley and were still rattled by the Borderline shooting when the fires erupted.

When the company was approached to help stage Sunday’s concert, Glaubke said, they were eager to help a cause so close to home.

“We just wanted to figure out a way to give back and heal,” he said. “This seemed to be good place to start.”

Co-organizer Kerry Brown is a multi-platinum producer and Linda Perry’s business partner. He said when tragic situations strike, people tend to handle it in one of two ways: They run away or they unite.

“It was great to see everyone gather together,” Brown said. “Music heals. It’s the one language everyone speaks.”

THUMBS UP—Singer Alanis Morisette shows her approval at the One Love Malibu concert. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/Acorn Newspapers

THUMBS UP—Singer Alanis Morisette shows her approval at the One Love Malibu concert. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/Acorn Newspapers