Jason Merritt/Getty Images Alicia Keys embraces Clive Davis at the 'Clive Davis and The Recording Academy's Pre-Grammy Bright And Salute To Industry Icons'.
Even added than the Grammy Awards themselves, Clive Davis' anniversary pre-Grammy activity was the accident a lot of carefully associated with the backward Whitney Houston. The singer's abutting accord with the man who helped barrage her career fabricated her a basic at the party, area she had several memorable performances over the years.
As Davis himself said from the date Saturday night, "She was so searching advanced to tonight even admitting she wasn't appointed to perform. She admired music, and she admired this night that celebrates music."
Photos: Whitney Houston Through the Years
That Davis was in appearance on this night was one of the abounding questions that amidst the affair. The aboriginal belief was that aloft the account of Houston's abrupt and adverse casual just hours afore the activity was appointed to start, the bright would be canceled altogether.
Inside the Beverly Hilton hotel, area aegis was beefed up, account crews filmed reside updates and badge could still be apparent walking all throughout the antechamber akin of the hotel, a lot of humans were a little afraid the anniversary went on. Several artists said they accepted it to be scuttled. But already chat got out that the activity would go on, stars came out in droves, with Dr. Dre, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Tom Hanks, Britney Spears, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, Skrillex, Slash and abounding added on hand. Some, like Slash, said they came to abutment Davis, a affect echoed by Diddy in his animadversion from the stage, area he batten of Davis' generosity.
Recording Academy President Neil Portnow addressed rumors about the activity accepting been abutting to getting canceled, adage that was never a consideration. And Davis gave a acumen why they soldiered on in his ardent aperture remarks, "Simply put, Whitney would accept capital the music to go on, and her ancestors asked that we backpack on."
And so the music did, starting about 9:15. Tony Bennett kicked the agreeable allocation of the night off with a affective estimation of "How Do You Keep The Music Playing." He was followed by Diana Krall, addition accomplished choice, as both lent a austere agenda of breeding to the proceedings.
Photos: Whitney Houston's NJ Hometown Pays Tribute
Many of the performances were planned and appointed months ago, so they had little to do with Houston, such as the accolade to Ray Davies and the Kinks. Davies, abutting by Jackson Browne and Elvis Costello, brought ability and a bit of the old ataxia to abstract like "All Day And All Of The Night, "Lola" and "Waterloo Sunset." Musically, it was the top point of the night. The set was still actual abundant accepted by the crowd, who gave Davies his due, even if the beforehand portions of the night were subdued.
Many humans didn't assume to apperceive how to react, accustomed Houston had died only a few hours beforehand in the actual aforementioned hotel. Already central the amphitheater – where there was a abundant admixture of artists, industry and columnist – the accountable was rarely brought up, with a clear, if unspoken, compassionate it was just too anon and too raw.
Those that took to the stage, however, did allege of Houston, with both Bennett and Diddy apropos to her as one of the "greatest voices" ever. Aside from Davis, the a lot of affective accolade came from Alicia Keys, who eloquently declared the alpha of what she alleged her abrupt accord with Houston. After abandoning Houston advancing to appointment in some limited location, "I don't even apperceive where," and congratulating Keys on her then-unannounced pregnancy, Keys summed up her sentiments by calling the backward accompanist "my sister."
It was a affect aggregate by abounding in the room where Houston had so abounding triumphs. Monica and Brandy – who were announcement "It All Belongs to Me," their aboriginal song calm back the 1998 accident "The Boy Is Mine " – were in the words of Davis, "too crestfallen to perform." Brandy's brother Ray J had anachronous Houston in the past, and there were rumors the couple had afresh reunited.
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