Photo via Clive Davis’ Instagram
The eve of The Grammy Awards absolutely belongs to legendary music executive and producer Clive Davis and has for 40 years. Several celebrities traded in their Valentine’s Day festivities for a night to party with Clive Davis at his epic pre-Grammy gala. The iconic music mogul threw his 40th annual bash at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday. Today’s hottest music stars came out in significant numbers to attend Davis’ marvelous affair saluting industry icons.
Clive Davis’ 40th pre-Grammy gala on Sunday night was another one for the books. Fan favorites Jamie Foxx, Christina Aguilera, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, Herbie Hancock, Sylvester Stallone, Ty Dolla $ign, Jane Fonda, John Legend, LL Cool J, Ciara & Russell Wilson, DJ Khaled, Jazmine Sullivan, Brandy, Janelle Monae, Fetty Wap, Kelly Price, Faith Evans and more were in attendance.
The first performance of the night was a tribute to David Bowie, who undoubtedly paved the way for many of the musicians in the room. Beck and Nirvana alums Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear joined together for a performance of “The Man Who Sold the World.”
The surprise performance of the evening was definitely that of Fetty Wap. No one can deny the success of his hit “Trap Queen”, but it was an interesting addition to this event. It did add an element of fun, however.
Another surprise was Barry Manilow taking the stage days after being hospitalized. He sung “Mandy” which was also celebrating a 40-year anniversary. He also performed “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” off his dream duets album. Melissa Etheridge performed a tribute to The Eagles‘ Glenn Frey, who passed away in January. She channeled the legend’s presence with her performance of “Take It To The Limit.” Carly Simon then performed “You’re So Vain.” Leave it up to Chicago, to deliver an equally captivating performance with their performance of “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is”?
Earth, Wind & Fire brought the soul & funk to the evening. The group celebrated their legacy and that of their former member the late Maurice White who we lost this month. They grooved through some of their hits such as “Shining Star,” “That’s The Way Of The World”, “September” and more. Andra Day, Tori Kelly, & Elle King also took the stage. King performed “Ex’s and Oh’s,” Kelly gave an acoustic performance of “Should’ve Been Us”, and Day delivered a powerful performance of her empowerment anthem “Rise Up.” Adam Lambert and Jack Antonoff closed the show with another tribute to David Bowie as they performed “Let’s Dance.”
The Grammys will air live tonight from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It starts at 8 p.m. Eastern.