SAN DIEGO >> The show will go on for the 2025 Grammy Awards in fire-ravaged Los Angeles, where Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar are among the top nominees. But should it?

There are no easy answers to this question. The issues it brings up have been increasingly pondered since the Jan. 13 announcement that the 67th edition of the Grammys will take place as scheduled on Sunday, Feb. 2 — and that the telecast is being revamped to raise funds for wildfire relief efforts and pay tribute to first responders.

That is a noble goal for the Recording Academy — under whose auspices the music industry’s most diverse and prestigious annual awards fete is held — following the unimaginably horrific destruction its host city has suffered this month.

But how challenging will it be to celebrate what has long been billed as “music’s biggest night” and to honor musicians at a time when so many in Los Angeles now find themselves struggling, homeless, bereft, or some combination of all three?

How open to celebrating will Beyoncé, Swift and the other presumed winners be, let alone the untold number of Los Angeles area music-industry professionals who suddenly find themselves unemployed because the recording studios, music venues and other places of work have been shuttered or destroyed?

And how many of the 2025 Grammy performers announced Friday morning — including Shakira, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Teddy Swims and Benson Boone — will modify their performances, or not, in the wake of the deadly fires?

The possible answers are difficult to quantify — and have stoked speculation and controversy — as multiple fires continue to burn in and near Los Angeles County, while much needed rainfall is possible this weekend.

In a Jan. 15 statement, Recording Academy CEO/President Harvey Mason Jr. acknowledged the gravity of the situation so many in and around Los Angeles are facing. The same statement announced that all but a handful of the academy’s annual Grammy week events are being canceled this year.

‘The power of music’

“We understand how devastating this past week has been on this city and its people,” said Mason, who has been a powerful agent of positive change at the academy.

“This is our home, it’s home to thousands of music professionals, and many of us have been negatively impacted. So, after thoughtful consideration and multiple assurances from state and local elected leaders, public safety agencies and with support from our incredible artist community, we have decided to go ahead with the Grammy telecast and some select events. Grammy Week 2025 will not just be about honoring music, it will be about using the power of music to help rebuild, uplift and support those in need.”

That is admirable, certainly. And the Recording Academy has — through its MusiCares charity organization — raised more than $100 million to provide assistance to musicians and other music industry workers facing financial, medical and personal hardships, including addiction recovery and disaster relief.

This year’s all-star MusiCares fundraising concert on Friday, Jan. 31, at the Los Angeles Convention Center will salute the band the Grateful Dead. It, too, is being revamped with the goal of raising even more money for fire victims.

The Recording Academy and MusiCares have thus far raised and pledged more than $2 million in emergency aid to members of the music community affected by the wildfires, following the launch of the organizations’ Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to Support Music Professionals.

But the academy appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to this year’s Grammy Awards. And the decision to adapt what it calls a “condensed” schedule of 2025 Grammy Week events came a day after — not before — Spotify, Billboard magazine and such major record companies as Sony, Universal, BMG and Warner Music Group all announced they were canceling their annual Grammy week events out of deference for the victims of the wildfires.

One of the first companies to cancel its 2025 Grammy party was Milk Honey Management, which has offices in Los Angeles; Nashville, Tennesee; New York; Dallas; London and Sydney.

“It would be tone deaf to celebrate and I hope all other companies will follow suit,” said Milk Honey Founder/President Lucas Keller in an Instagram post.

It’s important to note that Keller was referring to Grammy parties being “tone deaf,” not the Grammy telecast itself. But the bigger issue comes down to a simple — and, apparently, complex — matter of timing.

This month has seen the announcement of the 2025 Oscars nominees pushed back several times until Thursday, while the Oscars telecast is still set to take place as scheduled — more than a month from now — on March 2. Other annual Hollywood events celebrating the film industry have been postponed “until further notice,” or canceled altogether, along with some film and TV premieres. But the Grammy Awards are not being pushed back.

Beyoncé prays ‘for healing’

On Jan. 13, Beyoncé — who this year has a field-leading 11 Grammy nominations — announced her foundation’s donation of $2.5 million to the LA Fire Relief Fund. She also postponed a major announcement that had been scheduled for the same day (most likely regarding a new concert tour in support of her groundbreaking “Cowboy Carter” album).