U2 collects 5 Grammys, steals the show

The Grammys is an awards show that hardly gives out any awards.

On the three-and-a-half hour telecast last night on CBS, only 11 were presented live, out of 108 categories. Whole genres were ignored, including jazz, blues, gospel and classical music.

Because so few awards were presented on camera, viewers could not have been aware — unless they could keep up with the winners names scrolling at the bottom of the screen — that Mariah Carey was shut out of the top awards once again, and that Kanye West didn't do as well as expected, either. Both were nominated for eight awards. Carey and West won three each. Veteran rockers U2 came away with five awards, including album and song of the year, and Green Day brought home record of the year.

Newcomer John Legend, who also got eight nominations, won one of the most coveted categories — new artist of the year — and also was presented with the male R&B vocal performance award on the show.

Instead of awards, the broadcast is more about live performances, and that's good because there are so few of them anymore on TV. There were 15 of them from a variety of artists, including some of the biggest names in pop music.

Madonna's opener with Gorillaz was the most heavily promoted — "everybody will be talking about it!" the ads promised — but while she was in great form, dirty-dancing up a storm in a costume that showed a lot of leg — the musical collaboration with the cartoon band (the real humans who make the music were not shown) was a dud. (The performance can be seen online at www.grammy.yahoo.com).

More likely the talk will be about Kanye West and Jamie Foxx in brightly colored marching-band costumes, doing a version of West's "Gold Digger" with a real marching band and sexy "cheerleaders" in gold, form-fitting short-shorts. It was a hoot.

They'll also be talking about Kelly Clarkson's passionate performance of "Because of You" that showed she's gained a lot of sophistication and confidence since winning the first "American Idol." She cried when presented with the first award of the night, for female pop vocal performance of "Since U Been Gone."

"I'm sorry I'm crying again on national television," said the former "American Idol," tearful and shaking as she held her first Grammy. She was more composed later while accepting the award for pop vocal album, "Breakaway."

U2 was not the favorite to win any of the top awards, but it came away with two, "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" for song of the year — with lead singer Bono touchingly thanking his late father for his inspiration — and "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" for album of the year. Bono not only embraced all the nominees of the latter — Carey, West, Paul McCartney and Gwen Stefani — he also paid tribute to each in his gracious acceptance speech.

Green Day was the surprise winner of record of the year, for the rocking "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," but it was deserved because the song is the band's masterpiece.

West played up (or lived up to) his egotistical reputation as he won best rap album for "Late Registration."

"I had no idea, I had no idea," West said in mock shock as he pulled a huge sheet of paper that read "Thank You List."

The value of live performances was most apparent in the multi-genre groupings. Mary J. Blige was the perfect choice to sing "One" with U2, because of its drama and compassion. The powerful performance followed U2's rocking version of "Vertigo."

McCartney made a surprise appearance with Jay-Z and Linkin Park, in a rocking/hip-hop-influenced version of "Yesterday." The old-timer, the rapper and the punk rockers sounded great together. McCartney, 63, also had a solo spot, singing "Fine Line" at the piano and rocking out with his young band on the Beatles' rousing "Helter Skelter."

An all-star tribute to Sly Stone brought together such disparate artists as Maroon 5, Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas, Ciara, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Joss Stone and others. But strangely, Sly Stone, 61, wearing a blonde mohawk haircut and hiding behind sunglasses, made only a brief appearance at the keyboards.

A large group of artists, including Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Irma Thomas and Elvis Costello participated in the finale, a tribute to New Orleans. They did "Yes We Can Can" and "In the Midnight Hour," with the latter also honoring the late Wilson Pickett. Unfortunately, it was cut short because the telecast went on too long.

Among the most memorable solo performances were Legend's beautiful "Ordinary People," McCartney's "Fine Line" and "Devils & Dust" with Bruce Springsteen accompanying himself on guitar and harmonical. Herbie Hancock and Christina Aguilera's duet of a torchy "A Song For You" was a triumph for Aguilera, who's been little heard from of late.

A brief, impromptu performance by Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder was the first to energize the crowd. Wonder pulled out his harmonica and the two soulfully sang his classic "Higher Ground" as a tribute to Coretta Scott King.

"Let's keep trying to reach that higher ground," Keys said. "I forever want to reach that higher ground."

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312, pmacdonald@seattletimes.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.