A deluge of celebrities, from Bill Clinton and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Robert De Niro descended on the Marriott Marquis for MusiCares' Person of the Year benefit honoring U2 frontman Bono. And an all-star lineup including B.B. King, No Doubt, Sheryl Crow and Mary J. Blige covered U2 songs on a stage decorated with stretch fabric columns and a colorful Andy Warhol-style backdrop of 45 Bono portraits by Peter Max. Phil Ramone produced the tribute concert, with help from Tim Swift of Bounce Event Marketing.
The evening began with a silent auction cocktail hour, where On 3 Productions set out a whopping 515 auction lots with items ranging from 22 signed Gibson Guitars to a pair of jeans Christina Aguilera wore during the recording of her debut album. Coordinated by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' senior director of events Dana Tomarken, the event raised more than $3 million to provide music industry pros with financial or medical assistance.
—Suzanne Ito