Stevie Nicks Closes City of Hope Gala With 'Landslide' and a Story About the People It Saved

City of Hope’s annual Spirit of Life gala took over the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, and the music world showed up in force. Primary Wave founder and CEO Larry Mestel was the honoree, taking the stage to accept the award while dedicating it to his sister Marcy and his uncle Herve, both lost to cancer in the past year. He called the honor“a call to action,”and got one of the night’s best lines when he said of Dr. Stephen Forman,“He cures cancer in children, and I buy music catalogs.”

The performances matched the moment. Melissa Etheridge, a breast cancer survivor, performed, Jackson Browne played, and Pete Townshend appeared virtually due to a medical reason. Then Stevie Nicks closed the evening with an acoustic rendition of“Landslide”and credited City of Hope with changing the lives of four people close to her, including her best friend Robin and her brother. The night aimed to raise $10 million for CAR T cell therapy and breast cancer research, with a memorabilia auction featuring Sting, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen items on the block.

So the next time someone says pop culture is just noise, remember nights like this. Legends on stage, a room full of industry power players, and a very real reason behind it all. Which artist would you love to see headline a benefit like this? Tell us in the comments.