Saturday, February 11, 2012

Paul McCartney: Legendary Paul McCartney honored at MusiCares (USA Today)

By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY

 
 
LOS ANGELES – The musicians cueing up to salute Paul McCartney at MusiCares were nervous enough about doing justice to their hero's classics. Then they had to worry about living up to the opening act: 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?")





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