Friday, March 29, 2024

Lady Gaga Steals the Show from More than a Dozen Stars at Carole King Tribute

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Lady Gaga, sans large cocoon type eggs or meat dresses, stole the show Friday night at the 24th annual MusiCares Person of the Year dinner for Carole King in Los Angeles.

Gaga, wearing a simple white gown with a white cape, was one of dozens of stars including King herself who performed songs from the composer’s astounding catalogue. Gaga accompanied herself on piano singing “You’ve Got A Friend” on a rotating turntable stage in the middle of a room of around one thousand industry insiders.

She “batted cleanup” so to speak, following the opening “Hi De Ho” from Steven Tyler and LeAnn Rimes; Pink singing “So Far Away”; Train with Pat Monahan on “I Feel the Earth Move.” And then Gaga sat down at a white Yamaha piano in the middle of the L.A. Convention Center ballroom and just blew everyone away with an intimate, throaty, bluesy version of King’s greatest song. The whole room went wild, with Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne among those cheering when Gaga came to a conclusion.

Later, when King accepted the MusiCares award, she cited Gaga’s performance. “The music flows through her,” King said.

And what a night. Before King and James Taylor took the stage to finish up the evening, a parade of performers serenaded the packed room that included celebs like Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, David Crosby, Valerie Simpson, Eddie Cibrian, Jerry Moss, Jimmy Jam Harris, Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire, Peter Asher, Hoda Kotb, and Nancy Pelosi. Hillary Clinton even sent a video message for King.

Performances included Gloria Estefan “It’s Too Late” (Bonnie and Jackson’s table literally sang along with her); will.i.am and protege Leah McFall on “Love Makes the World Go Round”; Jason Mraz, Zac Brown, and Sara Bareilles on “Beautiful”; Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer and Judith Hill did a gorgeous “Way over Yonder”; Miguel with Kacey Musgreaves on “Crying in the Rain”; Alicia Keys did a beautiful job on “Natural Woman”; Jakob Dylan and Louise Goffin (King’s eldest child) jangled an acoustic “Goin’ Back”; and Jennifer Nettles, Amy Grant, Miranda and Martina McBride put together a medley of “Been to Canaan,” “I’m into Something Good,” “”It Might as Well Rain Until September,” and “One Fine Day.”

Yes, Carole King composed all those songs.

King and Taylor ripped through “Up on the Roof,” “Home Again,” “Sweet Seasons,” “Hey Girl,” Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” and a rocking version of “Jazzman” with surprise guest Tom Scott (he played on the hit record), King thanked Gerry Goffin, Lou Adler, Donnie Kirshner, and Taylor. The latter, she said, made her “step forward” from being a songwriter to a performer.

She said, “My dream is to hear great singers perform my songs. You can’t do any better than this.” Noting that the magic of the night would eventually wear off, she concluded, “Chickens today, feathers tomorrow.”

The nicest part of the night was seeing King and her family  up and dancing during each song, with Carole mouthing the words as if she were a fan.

Jimmy Kimmel hosted the show, which raised money for MusiCares, the Grammy foundation that supports musicians in need of all kinds of help from medical to personal and financial issues.

photo c 2014 Showbiz411

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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