Malibu’s Peter Asher on the bill with other legendary entertainers
Some of Los Angeles’ biggest comedic and musical voices are coming together to perform a benefit concert for wildfire relief. The show scheduled for March 16 at the United Theater on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles features a wide variety of talent combining standup comedy and music inspired by Los Angeles including Al Jardine of the Beach Boys and Malibu resident Peter Asher.
The comedic show featuring more than a dozen acts and appropriately titled “Let’s Get L.Aid” is being headlined by comedy musician “Weird Al” Yankovic and includes Eric Idle, Margaret Cho, Reggie Watts, Tim Heidecker, Paul Shaffer, Rufus Wainwright, and more, plus other acts yet to be announced.
The entertainers on the bill call Los Angeles home and one organizer who said he was lucky to be able to return home after evacuating wanted to give back to those who were less fortunate in the aftermath of the fires.
Asher, a legendary performer, manager, and hit record producer, has called Malibu home for 40 years and didn’thesitate to lend his talents for the upcoming evening after his own home survived the January fire. “It’s the right thing to do,” the musician said. “Helping people who’ve suffered gigantic unthinkable losses.”
Asher, the English guitarist who rose to fame as part of Peter and Gordon in the 1960s and launched the careers of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, has many friends on the bill but commented he’s looking forward to hearing and perhaps playing with Yankovic, whom he called an “underrated musician.” He also commented on his friend, singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, saying “He’s sensational. I am a huge fan.” Asher said he’s also looking forward to seeing his good friend Eric Idle of “Monty Python” fame.
“If you think about it from ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ onwards, he’s written some classics,” Asher said. “I’ll be excited about seeing all these people. It’s a good cause but at the same time you can actually go and hear incredibly good music and people playing together whom you might not have heard before.”
Wainwright has called Los Angeles home for more than a decade and lived here in the late 1990s while launching his career and recording his first albums. Although he was not personally affected by the Palisades Fire, he has a deep affinity for LA.
“I love LA and I very deeply consider it my home on several fronts,” he said. “One being that initially, it was really LA that understood my music more than any other city. I couldn’t get arrested in Manhattan or in London. As soon as I got here I just kind of hooked right into this great tradition of a singer/songwriter, and like many other romantic figures.”
Locked down in LA during COVID and sharing daily concerts online during the pandemic Wainwright commented,“Now with the fire we seem to be having very intense experiences in this town and as everyone obviously, I was just want to be part of the solution. We have to get out there and be proactive and be part of the solution and be a helper as Mr. Rogers would say.”
After asking about the damage suffered in Malibu from the Palisades Fire, Wainwright concluded, “I’ve always loved Malibu. My heart goes out to you guys. I’ll be part of the solution.”
For tickets go to theunitedtheater.com