Paul McCartney, the legendary musician, the biggest big shot snagged in the event's 22-year history, was celebrated for his music and philanthropy Friday night at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The honoree, accompanied by wife Nancy Shevell, didn't bask in glory. He sang for his (vegetarian) supper.
After the boisterous dance-and-acrobatics pageantry of Cirque du Soleil's Beatles LOVE troupe, McCartney, 69, took the stage and charged into rousing versions of Magical Mystery Tour and Junior's Farm, setting a high bar for an evening of distinctive covers by diverse admirers.
The Foo Fighters cleared that bar with a roaring Jet, after singer Dave Grohl gushed about the surreal coolness of "hanging out with Paul friggin' McCartney."
Alicia Keys, who accompanied herself on piano for an aching, soulful Blackbird, said, "It's a beautiful honor to be here tonight. I never knew how much this song was about me."
Alison Krauss & Union Station, plus Jerry Douglas, brought creamy harmonies and bluegrass shades to an acoustic No More Lonely Nights, performed on a rotating satellite stage. (In rehearsal, Krauss quipped, "What are we, rotisserie chicken?")
Tony Bennett delivered a jazzy, classy Here, There and Everywhere, equaled in elegance by Norah Jones' Oh Darling. Katy Perry, dazzling in a white gown and giant rose-petal hat, infused an acoustic Hey Jude with intensity.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse earned a standing ovation for their loud, scrappy, guitar-driven I Saw Her Standing There. Also on the menu: Coldplay's pretty We Can Work It Out, Diana Krall's plaintive For No One, James Taylor's Yesterday and Sergio Mendes' Fool on the Hill.
Twang guitar pioneer Duane Eddy performed a sparkling instrumental rendition of And I Love Her.
"I'm honored and it's good fun," Eddy, 73, said backstage before curtain. "He doesn't write any terrible songs, and they picked a nice one for me. I'm happy to play with his band, one of the best in the world."
The VIP crowd of musicians and industry elites is a mixed blessing, he said.
"You won't find a more understanding, sympathetic or forgiving audience anywhere," Eddy says. "On the other hand, you don't want to mess up."
Yoko Ono and George Harrison's widow, Olivia, were on hand (Ringo Starr was sick at home), along with Bonnie Raitt, Glen Campbell, Brian Wilson, Smokey Robinson, David Foster, Don Was, Jeff Lynne, David Crosby, Steven Van Zandt, Randy Jackson, Carole King, Jason Mraz and L.A. Reid.
As emcee, comedian/actor Eddie Izzard invented a hilarious McCartney bio populated by Jacques Cousteau, Fidel Castro and Muhammad Ali, with all events occurring in 1962.
The charity gala drew record attendance (2,800) and raised $6.5 million, the most in its history, for musicians in need of medical or financial aid. A baby grand piano painted and signed by Peter Max for Starr sold at auction for $175,000. Katy Perry, who researched MusiCares programs after receiving the tribute invitation, pledged $250,000.
In a humorous video tribute, Elvis Costello chronicled McCartney's artistic and charitable contributions, ending with new album Kisses on the Bottom, which he joked "could be an alternative title of tonight's event."
McCartney closed the evening with instant standard My Valentine and Fats Waller cover I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, both from Kisses, then Wings' Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-five and finally Carry That Weight and The End from the Abbey Road medley, accompanied by Joe Walsh and Grohl on guitar.
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