Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge and Jackson Browne Honour Larry Mestel at City of Hope Gala
Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge and Jackson Browne performed on Tuesday, 27 October, at City of Hope's Spirit of Life gala in Los Angeles. The evening honoured Larry Mestel, founder and chief executive of Primary Wave, a company that buys the rights to songs and the royalties they earn.
The gala was held at the Pacific Design Center. City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment centre, said the event aimed to raise $10 million to support CAR T cell therapy, a treatment that reprograms a patient's own immune cells to attack cancer, and other cellular immunotherapies. Billboard reported the performances and the honour.
Not everyone on the bill could be in the room. Pete Townshend could not attend because of a medical reason, so he gave a virtual performance from his home.
The honour was first announced in April. Primary Wave said Mestel would receive the 2026 Music, Film and Entertainment Industry Spirit of Life Award. In June, the company named Etheridge, Nicks and Browne as the performers for the gala.
Evan Lamberg chairs the board of City of Hope's music, film and entertainment industries division. City of Hope says more than $180 million has been raised to support its work through that group.
Earlier this month, Primary Wave and the MFEI Group launched a campaign called "More Than Words" with Fandiem, tied to the same 2026 Spirit of Life effort honouring Mestel.
For the music business, the evening is a reminder that large fundraising nights depend on many hands. Performers travel, crews set up stages, and venues and vendors all have a part to play. The gala's fundraising target is a figure to watch, but the final total had not been reported at the time of writing.
