Last night, CBS aired “The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles”. The musical evening was filled with star-studded performances that marked the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first U.S. television performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
The evening featured performances of Beatles’ hit songs by unique duets including John Mayer and Keith Urban, Pharrell Williams and Brad Paisley, Alicia Keys and John Legend, as well as solo performances by Maroon 5, Katy Perry, Imagine Dragons and many more. Seated in the front row with wives Nancy Shevell and Barbara Bach, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were serenaded throughout the night, but each ultimately took the stage individually to close out the night.
The evening opened with Maroon 5 singing “All My Loving” and “Ticket to Ride,” and Legend and Keys sang “Let It Be” from a pair of pianos. Perry performed the Beatles’ hit song “Yesterday,” and Mayer dueted with Urban on “Don’t Let Me Down.” Williams and Paisley belted out “Here Comes the Sun” and Imagine Dragons put their own spin on “Revolution.”
Additional performances included a duet by Dave Grohl and Jeff Lynne for “Hey Bulldog,” and Ed Sheeran sang “In My Life,” Stevie Wonder performed “We Can Work It Out” and Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox united to play “The Fool on the Hill.” Taking to the stage a second time, Grohl returned later in the show with Gary Clark Jr. and Joe Walsh to sing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
The cameras frequently panned to a glowing McCartney and Starr alongside Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Olivia Harrison and son Dhani Harrison all clapping, dancing and singing along.
In addition to musical performances, the special also highlighted interviews with Starr and McCartney and original footage of their first “Ed Sullivan” performance. Short biographies on each of the Fab Four were also showcased.
But the evening was not complete until both Starr and McCartney took to the stage. Starr began his performance with “Matchbox” and followed it up with a turn at the drums singing “Boys.” He completed his set with “Yellow Submarine.” McCartney took the stage next with a set list that included “Birthday,” “Get Back,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
The tribute closed with a duet by both Starr and McCartney singing “With a Little Help From My Friends,” and finally, “Hey Jude.”
Did you tune in last night for the Beatles tribute? What did you think of the star performances? Let us know! Call Zone Recording Studio at 800-372-3305 or visit us at www.zonerecording.com.
For the full article, please visit: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-beatles-celebrated-at-star-studded-tribute/