|
Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheater was
chock-full of celebrities and the people who love them for
Thursday's VH1 Honors. Considering that the show benefited the
channel's Save the Music initiative, which helps fund school
music programs, it sounded like an impressive Live Aid-type
mega-concert, or at least an adult, VH1 version of one.
The channel did have a good cause,
plenty of famous people (Sean Penn, David Spade, Ellen DeGeneres)
and plans for the requisite all-star jams. And it was a bit like
Live Aid -- only it mostly resembled the concert's last fifteen
minutes, where all the musicians took the stage together and
rambled through classic rock songs.
The show began on a promising note when
Stevie Wonder and Steve Winwood took the stage and played
rousing versions of "Higher Ground" and "Gimme
Some Lovin.'" Sheryl Crow kept up that mood with "Everyday
is a Winding Road" and a duet with Emmylou Harris on the
Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes".
But after The Artist Formerly Known as
Prince delivered an impassioned performance of "Holy
River," the pace slowed considerably. Steve Winwood joined
Chaka Khan on "Higher Love." Next was "Living in
the City," performed by Stevie Wonder, George Michael and
Steve Winwood.
|
