" February 11, 2012 -- UTSanDiego.com
Paul McCartney honored at all-star concert
Neil Young, James Taylor, Katy Perry part of all-star concert
Will the real Paul McCartney please stand up and take another bow?
Is he the perpetually youthful rock and roller who brought a sold-out audience to its feet several times during Friday night's Grammy Awards-sponsored MusiCares Person of the Year concert in his honor?
Is he urbane crooner who teamed up with Diana Krall, bassist John Clayton and a string section for a jazzy interlude of his new, self-penned "My Valentine" and the Tin Pan Alley chestnut "I'm Going to Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," both of which were a delight?
Or is he the fabled singer-songwriter who had an array of fellow legends (from Neil Young to Tony Bennett) and young stars (including Katy Perry and Coldplay) lining up to salute him on stage with some of his most beloved compositions?
All three answers proved correct at the nearly two-hour MusiCares concert at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where McCartney was feted by in front of a nearly 3,000-strong audience. It included Yoko Ono, Smokey Robinson, Brian Wilson, David Crosby, Grammy-winning Oceanside troubadour Jason Mraz, Elvis Costello, Tom Hanks, Jimmy Jam, Virgin Airlines/Virgin Records founder Richard Branson, guitar hero Steve Vai and Joe Lamond, the president and CEO of the Carlsbad-based National Association of Music Merchants.
"Tonight, we pay tribute to a remarkable music icon," said Neil Portnow, the head of the Recording Academy, under whose auspices the Grammys and MusiCares are held. (Established in 1989, MusiCares provides assistance to musicians and members of the recording industry who need medical or financial assistance. The annual concert honors artists for both their creative and philanthropic work.)
Yet, while there were stars galore on hand to play McCartney's songs for (and to) him -- the lineup also included James Taylor, Foo Fighters, Norah Jones, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Alicia Keys, Duane Eddy and Sergio Mendes -- it does them no disservice to say that a majority of their musical contributions Friday proved anti-climatic. That's because McCartney took to the stage before any of them, the first time in memory at the 23-year-old MusiCares concert that the artist being honored did not wait until the end of the evening to perform.
By doing so, the former Beatle immediately set the bar higher than more than half of the night's featured artist s could hope to match, thanks to his wonderfully inspired versions of the Fab Four's classic "Magical Mystery Tour" and the Wings' chestnut "Junior's Farm."
Both songs rocked with enough vim and vigor to suggest that McCartney is 69-going-on-19. So did his show-closing performance of most of the second side of songs from The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, which culminated in an ecstatic series of solos by McCartney and the front line of his band, along with two guests on guitar -- Foo Fighters' leader Dave Grohl and Eagles veteran (and former Encinitas resident) Joe Walsh. Grohl and Walsh looked so giddy to be playing alongside McCartney that, at one point, it seemed that both were about to levitate.
Foo Fighters had the unenviable task of being the first to follow McCartney on stage at the start of the concert, which raised a record $6.5 million for MusiCares. Grohl and his band delivered a rendition of the Wings' favorite "Jet" that exuded energy, but lacked the flair and finesse McCartney and his four-man band had demonstrated with such seemingly effortless ease.
Alicia Keys proved more effective introducing her solo version of "Blackbird," McCartney's stirring, Civil Rights-inspired ballad "Blackbird -- "This song really had a personal affect on me; I never realized how much this song was about me" than she did performing it. Her voice that strained each time she delivered the chorus, which she inexplicably chose to do in a key lower than she seemed comfortable handling.
More strikingly attired than any other performer, Katy Perry wore a white, sleeveless gown and a pink, rose-shaped hat that rose more than a foot above her head. She bravely attempted "Hey Jude," struggling to achieve a level of emotional depth she seemed incapable of achieving and attempting to conduct an audience sing-along with a glittering silver baton. Still, it was an interesting misfire by Perry, who -- Grammy honcho Portnow later announced -- had pledged $250,000 to MusiCares.
The timeless Tony Bennett, the night's senior performer at 85, attempted to transform "Here, There and Everywhere" into a finger-snapping, rat-pack-styled romp. He did so with mixed results, an assessment that also applies to Coldplay's semi-unplugged take on "We Can Work It Out" and Sergio Mendes' bossa-nova-cum-smooth-jazz version of "Fool on the Hill" (the Beatles' song that gave Mendes a major hit in the mid-1960s). Rock guitar pioneer Duane Eddy, along with Bennett the only artist featured Friday whose career preceded McCartney's, played a tasteful instrumental reading of "And I Love Her" that would have fared better in a more intimate setting.
Far more rewarding was Krauss and Union Station's achingly tender acoustic version of "NO More Lonely Nights," a relatively obscure song from McCartney's 1984 album, "Give My Regards to Broad Street"; Norah Jones' sultry interpretation of "Oh Darling"; and James Taylor and Diana Krall's exquisitely understated versions of "Yesterday" and "For No One," both of which feature ace jazz bassist John Clayton.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse ripped into "I Saw Her Standing There" with a raucous, almost primordial sense of abandon, managing to simultaneously pay homage to the song and make it their own. Where Coldplay tiptoed and Keys and Perry tripped, Young (himself the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year honoree) let rip, and the results were electrifying, as McCartney later acknowledged to the audience.
"It's great for me to be here," McCartney said, prior to his grand finale. "For me, it's obviously fantastic to hear all these great artist playing my songs, Neil rocking out, and (some of) the younger artists adding nuances I didn't know were there."
The concert was not televised, but McCartney will be featured during Sunday night's Grammy Awards on KFMB/Channel 8. If his Grammy showing is even half as inspired, it should be a highlight. In the meanwhile, MusiCares -- which last year honored Barbra Streisand -- will have to search intently to find an artist to honor next year who can come close to equaling McCartney's legacy and his vibrant performance Friday.
MusiCares Set List - February 10, 2012
1. Cirque du Soleil performance from Love
2. Magical Mystery Tour - Paul McCartney
3. Junior's Farm - Paul McCartney
4. Jet - Foo Fighters
5. Blackbird - Alicia Keys
6. No More Lonely Nights - Alison Krauss
7. Here, There and Everywhere - Tony Bennett
8. And I Love Her - Duane Eddy
9. Oh Darling - Norah Jones
10. Hey Jude - Katy Perry
11. I Saw Her Standing There - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
12. Fool On the Hill - Sergio Mendes
13. We Can Work It Out - Coldplay
14. Yesterday - James Taylor with Diana Krall
15. For No One - Diana Krall with James Taylor
16. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter - Paul McCartney with Diana Krall & John Pizzarelli
17. My Valentine - Paul McCartney
18. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End - Paul McCartney with Joe Walsh, Dave Grohl "
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