Grammy's Attract It's Biggest Audience

According to today's NY Times, The Grammy Awards had their best audience in years: 25.8 million viewers. Here are some more staggering facts from the article:

These numbers were up 35 percent from the 19 million who watched the awards show last year. It dwarfed such recent awards shows as the Golden Globes (17 million) and the Emmys (13.5 million). The Grammys this year were more popular than all of the NFL Sunday night prime-time football games this season on NBC as well as Game Four of the World Series, which was played on a Sunday night.

I caught a little of the show and I came away with thinking that only country artists know how to write a song. There was lots of spectacle. Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas and Jamie Foxx all danced and gyrated with robots and other shinny things. Beats, Beats, Beats! The big number duets which have become ubiquitous, were lackluster. Lady Gaga and Elton John's take on Your Song seemed misguided. Then again, I didn't watch the whole show only a small portion, which was enough.

We Are One: Concert at the Lincoln Memorial

Singing in 20 degree weather can't be easy. Yesterday musicians paid tribute to Barack Obama by performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It's a dramatic and inspiring backdrop. Many of the songs were performed with a choir. Springsteen with acoustic guitar and choir behind him delivered a poignant version of The Rising. John Mellencamp and choir belted out a rousing version of Pink Houses. The only full band performance came from U2. They paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr with In The Name of Love and followed it up with City Of Blinding Lights.

The ladies really rocked the show. They out rocked the guys.

1. Mary J Blige's cover of Lean On Me took on steam as the song progressed.
   
2. Renee Fleming powerfully interpreted Roger's and Hammerstein's You'll Never Walk Alone.
3. I was very exited to see Heather Headley perform with Josh Grobman. She has one of the best voices and she hadn't been on my radar lately. Their duet was a beautiful interpretation of My Country Tis of Thee.
4. Bettye LaVette proves that she just keeps getting better. She blew me away with her rendition of Love Reign O’er Me at the Kennedy Center Honors last month and continued to do so yesterday with her performance of A Change Is Gonna Come. Jon Bon Jovi sang with her.
5. Beyonce closed the show with America The Beautiful with the days performers joining her on stage for the last verse.
   

With the exception of U2, it was a celebration of the music of this country, although the lone jazz artist represented was Herbie Hancock. HBO is running it online, watch it. The performers were there because they wanted to be and the passion and pride were evident on every one of their faces. It's good to be an American.