The red carpet for this benefit raising funds to help musicians in need
inspired many surreal moments. There was Elvis Costello greeting Smokey Robinson
with a hug, Neil Young chatting with Yoko Ono, James Taylor dropping by our
interview with Raitt to say hello, and on and on. Even Dave Grohl lost it.
"Oh my god, there’s Bonnie Raitt," he said to
Rolling Stone as we
chatted. "Holy shit, that’s huge."
Yeah, it was a special night. And at the center of it all was Sir Paul, the
man who still turns all of music's biggest stars into teenage fans.
During Grammy rehearsals earlier in the day, Tony Bennett told us of his
affection for McCartney. "The one I like of all the artists I’m watching is Paul
McCartney. He has survived and he just sings beautiful and he does quality
product all the time," Bennett said. "And I just like him personally, as a
friend. We’re good friends."
For many of the people on hand, the occasion was a reunion. "I’m looking
forward to seeing the McCartney family," Yoko Ono told us. "I’ve known [those
children] since they were this high," she said, pointing to her mid-section.
For others, it was a chance to pay respect to someone they've long admired.
"Paul McCartney is one of the greatest songwriters ever. He’s truly a very, very
talented man and he’s my brother and I love him," Smokey Robinson said. "He has
brought so much to music, the Beatles changed the face of music from the
U.K."
The overwhelming wealth of McCartney's catalog was evident during this
two-hour tribute concert in a Convention Center ballroom. As has always been the
case at MusiCares events, the guest of honor was feted with cover renditions of
his songs by music royalty. While some past artists have chosen only to make a
speech or play couple of songs to close the night, McCartney treated the show
like it was his own concert.
After a quick intro from Grohl, performers from Cirque Du Soleil's
Beatles LOVE troupe took over the ballroom, with costumed performers
running up and down the aisles and performing gymnastics on ropes hanging from
the ceilings to the tune of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," among
other songs. As the performers were walking out of the room, they commanded so
much attention that it took the 2,800 guests a couple of seconds to realize they
were no longer listening to a soundtrack. McCartney had taken the stage and was
rocking "Magical Mystery Tour." It was an inspired moment, one that brought the
whole crowd to their feet.
It's not easy to follow McCartney, but the Foo Fighters, who killed on "Jet,"
were the perfect choice. "Paul McCartney’s rock songs and Foo Fighters songs
kind of live in the same kind of territory," Grohl told us. "He loves upbeat,
melodic hard rock music and that’s kind of what we do."
From there, the show turned into an embarrassment of riches. At one point,
Norah Jones, Katy Perry and Neil Young took the stage in succession. Later on,
Coldplay were followed by James Taylor doing "Yesterday" with help from Diana
Krall.
It was a night where almost any artist could have been the most talked about
on Twitter. Among the standouts were Alicia Keys' breathtaking "Blackbird,"
Alison Krauss and Union Station's elegant "No More Lonely Nights," Coldplay's
sweet rendition of "We Can Work It Out," and Bennett's jazzy "Here, There And
Everywhere." The performance that may take home the title of Most-Tweeted is
Katy Perry's "Hey Jude." The song choice seemed a little lofty for one of the
youngest artists on the bill, but Perry delivered a powerful acoustic rendition
that had the whole room singing along by the closing notes.
Norah Jones, like Bennett, turned the McCartney material into a jazz tune on
"Oh Darling," while Neil Young and Crazy Horse went the other way completely,
transforming "I Saw Her Standing There" into a raucous scrap heap of guitars,
feedback and good old fashioned garage rock. That performance was even singled
out by McCartney in his very brief speech.
McCartney used his speech to praise MusiCares’ work, as so many others did on
that night. "MusiCares is really working really hard and very well for all
musicians and we all respect MusiCares," Ono told us. "They helped so many of my
friends."
"I know there are other award shows, but I only go to this one. It’s a great
organization," Raitt added.
Read more:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/paul-mccartney-rocks-his-own-tribute-20120211#ixzz1m88Re5Ra
