Foreigner to Headline Benefit for Sean Penn’s CORE

Kelly Hansen of Foreigner performs during the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis 39th Great Sports Legends Dinner at New York's Hilton Midtown on Sept. 29, 2025. Craig Barritt/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis

Sean Penn and Ann Lee’s Community Organized Relief Effort will mount a marquee fundraiser in Los Angeles by shining a light on Foreigner at its Afterglow benefit.

The event is set to take place on Sept. 15, and will feature Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Foreigner headlining the main program with funds raised at the event set to benefit CORE’s emergency response initiatives across the globe.

Afterglow LA is backed by a starry host committee that includes Bradley Cooper, Bryan Lourd, Casey Affleck, David Geffen, Garcelle Beauvais, Jason Segel and Kayla Radomski, Jeremy Strong, Jewel, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, Mathew Rosengart, Paul Thomas Anderson and Sharon Stone.

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“We’re honored to perform at CORE Afterglow and support the work CORE does to help communities rebuild in times of crisis. From wildfire recovery in Los Angeles to earthquake relief in Venezuela, CORE is making a real impact around the world. We’re proud to bring people together through music to celebrate their work and help support those who need it most,” offered Foreigner’s bass player Jeff Pilson in a statement.

Afterglow is billed as being part of CORE’s signature event series, invite-only concerts that will be held in Los Angeles and Miami, the latter of which is scheduled for Dec. 3. The events are designed to keep the focus on communities that are in the rebuilding phase long after news and attention moves on. CORE has also mixed music with philanthropy in years past. In December 2025, the org hosted Arcade Fire rockers Win Butler and Régine Chassagne at the Ross House to celebrate a milestone 15th anniversary.

News of the event comes on the heels of CORE’s July launch of Todos con Venezuela, which translates to All with Venezuela, a $5 million earthquake response campaign on digital fundraising platform Tiltify to help the country recover and rebuild in the wake of back-to-back earthquakes that struck on June 24. It was kickstarted with a lead gift of $500,000 from the FIFA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of FIFA that was established in 2018 to drive social impact on behalf of the soccer organization.