Grammy Rundown

[JerseyGirl]

A preview of Grammy's big magnets:

Bruce Springsteen: The Boss will open the show with the uplifting working-class anthem We Take Care of Our Own, from his upcoming Wrecking Ball. Why kick off proceedings with a non-nominee? "Based on this particular song and Bruce's stature in music as a great poet and storyteller, and given the climate sociologically, we felt this worked and fit very well," Portnow says.

Adele: In her first singing engagement in five months, she'll sing Rolling in the Deep and one other song.

Paul McCartney: Ehrlich plans an intimate approach to a performance of new romantic pop-jazz tune My Valentine, backed by Diana Krall and Joe Walsh. He'll also end the show with a song from Band on the Run.

Chris Brown: The singer will take the Grammy stage three years after his infamous assault on Rihanna at a pre-Grammy gala. Both were Grammy no-shows, and Brown remains on probation, though a restraining order was eased to allow him within 10 yards of Rihanna at music events. He's never won a Grammy, but his F.A.M.E. is a strong R&B album contender.

The dance tent: One of Brown's performances will be with David Guetta and Lil Wayne in a dance tent packed with club fans outside the Staples Center. The Foos (also slated to rock out on Walk indoors) will pair with Deadmau5 on the DJ's remix of the band's Rope.

"The Grammys for years have been called behind the times, but I don't think we're late to this party," Ehrlich says of the show's first toast to electronica. "I didn't want to do it until we could do it right. That dance environment is so immersive, you can't do it on a proscenium stage."

Glen Campbell: The country singer, diagnosed a year ago with Alzheimer's and soon to retire, will perform as part of a salute by Blake Shelton (Southern Nights) and the Band Perry (Gentle on My Mind).

Katy Perry: This will be the first performance by the pop princess since her split from husband Russell Brand. "A lot of fans will want to see how Katy's doing and what Katy is going to sing," says Ehrlich, declining to reveal song titles. Buzz is swirling on Part of Me, a defiant breakup tune on a Teenage Dream special edition out next month. Sample lyric: "You're not gonna break my soul."

MIA: No, not Madonna's bird-flipping cohort at the Super Bowl, but the conspicuously absent nominees Bon Iver, Jay-Z and Kanye West, who leads this year's pack with seven nominations.

Bon Iver, up for new artist and best record and song for the delicate Holocene, rejected overtures to collaborate with another artist, a Grammy hallmark.

The absence of Jay-Z and West, snubbed in the marquee categories, "has to do with the nominations," Ehrlich says. "I don't think it has anything to do with the show. We extended offers. I'm disappointed. They should be here, and I'm sorry they're not. They're great artists, and we could have done a great number with Otis or N - - - - - in Paris."

LINK: Beach Boys bring good vibrations to Grammys show

 

[LG]

Can't say I'm inspired by that line-up myself, the Boss and Paul will be good as usual the rest...well I didn't know Campbell was suffering with the dreaded big A...

As far as Kanye/Jay Z not attending...that would actually make me more Likely to tune in than if they were part of the proceedings...

 

[Death on Credit]

It astounds me that Chris Brown, that terrible terrible excuse for a human being, is still allowed to have any sort of career.

I have zero tolerance for spousal abuse.

 

[LG]

^^I tend to agree DOC...but from what I gathered Rihanna is a Diva in her own right with all the drama that goes with it.

Hopefully he doesn't win anything.

Come to think of it......isn't he in the latest "Underworld" movie with Kate? If so that is puzzling to me, there are many better crossover/singers/rappers that I would rather see in a franchise I like.

 

[ILoveJimmyPage]

I have nothing but high expectations (that will undoubtedly be met) for Adele, who is nothing if not as engaging and spectacular in her live work as much as she is in the studio. Not only that, but I'll dare to say she'll win huge this year. If she could do it with 19 she'll definitely do it with 21. She is one of the few modern artists who gives me hope for the future of music.



Also would be surprised if Foo Fighters didn't win something this year. Their newest album is one of the best purchases I made last year in terms of newer music by far.

 

[Mr. Bob Dobolina]

Can't say I'm inspired by that line-up myself, the Boss and Paul will be good as usual the rest...well I didn't know Campbell was suffering with the dreaded big A...

As far as Kanye/Jay Z not attending...that would actually make me more Likely to tune in than if they were part of the proceedings...

There was an article in Rolling Stone about six months ago concerning Glen Campbell and his condition. It was heartbreaking to read. I've always liked his music, especially his classic sixties stuff. All the best, Glen and thank you for sharing your musical gifts with the world.

 

[LG]

^^I've got a greatest hits compilation that I really like of Glen's Bob...it is sad news for me he has put his life back in order over the last few years.

 

[JerseyGirl]

LOS ANGELES - Looks like the Grammys are starting this year's shindig with a show-stopper.

According to reports, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will kick off the annual music awards broadcast on Sunday — and after watching him rehearse on Friday afternoon, I advise you not to tune in late.

The 62-year-old singer-guitarist took to the stage at L.A.'s Staples Center to perform his new single We Take Care of Our Own, but quickly turned the normally subdued rehearsal process into an energized mini-concert for a few hundred lucky onlookers.

Accompanied by a string section and backed by his long-serving band — minus sax player Clarence Clemons, who died last year — Springsteen delivered several powerful, commanding performances of the song. Although it was ostensibly just a runthrough for TV and technical crews, The Boss played and sang as if he were in a sold-out arena instead of a nearly empty one. Clad in a black-leather jacket over jeans and a V-neck T-shirt, he windmilled and slashed away at the strings of his Telecaster, at one point jumping onto his upturned Marshall speaker cabinets to commune with drummer Max Weinberg. Between takes, he helped teach the string section their parts, standing on an amp to conduct. "They sound good," he enthused. "We're getting there. Almost."

Springsteen's performances — which generated more interest and applause than any Grammy rehearsal I've seen — was an early highlight on the second day of prep for the 54th annual awards.

On Thursday evening, Brian Wilson and the reunited Beach Boys teamed up with Maroon 5 and Foster the People for a segment, while Bonnie Raitt paid tribute to the late Etta James. Earlier on Friday, country icon Glen Campbell — who has announced his retirement from music after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's — offered a moving moment when he came onstage to play one of his biggest hits after rising stars The Band Perry covered another entry from his vast catalog.

“He's just such a dear soul,” said Kimberley Perry from the sibling country trio. “Even with his diagnosed disease, you can tell he loves his music, he loves playing guitar and his spirit is just shining.”

Added her brother Neil: “I remember years ago when out dad introduced us to his music. We've grown up being Glen Campbell fans, and to be here and honour him this way is really special for the three of us.”

Of course, it's not the only reason they're here: They're also up for best new artists against Bon Iver, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj and Skrillex. Neil says they're not getting their hopes up "so they won't be disappointed,” while Kimberley wondered aloud if the fact that Minaj is seated closest to the stage means anything. "We obsess about everything," she laughed.

Well, they're in the right place. The three-day Grammy rehearsal process is all about sweating the details. And observing it is an experience akin to watching an ant colony construct a space shuttle two days before launch. Dozens if not hundreds of workers — stagehands, lighting techs, sound engineers, production staff, musicians, dancers, publicists, you name it — engage in what seems like barely organized chaos. Lighting grids are flashing. Roadies are tuning equipment. Video screens and hunks of scenery are being raised and lowered and positioned and repositioned. Musical acts come onstage, hammer their bit of the show into shape in an hour and then vanish, only to be replaced by another artist and a repeat of the whole laborious process. To the casual observer, it seems there’s no way it could ever come together into a professional production of any sort, let alone a live televised gala.

Amazingly, it can. And does. See for yourself on Sunday.

LINK: Springsteen set to kick off Grammys | Music | Entertainment | Toronto Sun

 

[TheSound]

^^I've got a greatest hits compilation that I really like of Glen's Bob...it is sad news for me he has put his life back in order over the last few years.

Me too - I think I have one somewhere on vinyl, though his back catalogue has been ruthlessly exploited, I just looked and there must be over a hundred Best of Glen Campbell type collections out there.

'Wichita Lineman' is one of my favourite songs of that ilk...

 

[That 70s Guy]

Glen Campbell used to be in The Beach Boys. He replaced Brian Wilson for a short time.