Last night saw 75,000 people fill Sydney's ANZ Stadium for Fire Fight Australia, with millions watching the televised broadcast from all over the world. 

Hosted by comedian Celeste Barber, and featuring a line-up of Aussie artists and international icons including Queen with Adam Lambert, Alice Cooper, Michael Buble, and Canadian crooner k.d. lang, who each performed 15-minute sets to raise money for those who have been affected by the bushfires that ravaged Australia over the past few months.

Let's be honest, any artist going out to perform after Queen has a big job to do. They performed their iconic Live Aid set from 1985 and the entire stadium sung along in awe. It felt like the party was just getting started, with Adam Lambert proving why the band chose him to take on the big notes of the late great Freddie Mercury. 

Michael Buble's live cross from Melbourne was simply delightful, what an entertainer! His set included a moving tribute to the firefighters, referring to them as Superheroes. Then Aussie hip hop legends Hilltop Hoods sent ANZ stadium into a bouncing frenzy with their high energy set.  

But, the night came to a standstill when k.d. lang took to the stage following the In Memoriam display of names of those who lost their lives because of the fires. From her 2004 album  Hymns Of The 49th Parallel, her first of two songs was "The Valley" which was delivered with the beautiful sensitivity required for such an emotional occasion. It was her second song, her rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" that bought everyone to tears. You could hear a pin drop in the stadium as she belted out the song to absolute perfection, with pure heartfelt emotion. It was a magical experience, to say the very least. 

Watch k.d. lang perform "Hallelujah" at Fire Fight Australia

The crowd at @ANZStadium was brought to a standstill by a haunting performance of 'Hallelujah' by @kdlang. #FireFightAustralia #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/qHMB2OLwKH

… 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) February 16, 2020

With a long respected history with Australian fans, k.d. was genuinely thrilled to be back here performing for such a wonderful cause, sharing on social media her delight in being gifted an adopted Koala.

So incredibly moved by this welcome gift from warner music Australia.
thank you.
Please go to https://t.co/70Lyew18OU
To adopt a koala!!!!! pic.twitter.com/16qkXlcc1Y

… k.d. lang (@kdlang) February 14, 2020

The donation portal is still open for Fire Fight Australia and the full list of beneficiaries can be found here. 

Listen to Hymns Of The 49th Parallel on Spotify

Listen to Hymns Of The 49th Parallel on Apple Music