Of Bald Women and Glaswegian Glam Rockers

I'm not usually one for award shows, but I got sucked in early by Sunday night's Grammy telecast and never left. Of note:

- The 5-band opener, with the Black Eyed Peas, Los Lonely Boys, Gwen Stefani, Maroon 5, and Franz Ferdinand was high-energy cacophony, and set a brisk pace for the rest of the night.

- U2's Bono remains the consummate showman, even if they won for Best Rock Song at Green Day's expense. The band performed a soulful version of "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," which Bono dedicated to his father, saying "I wish I'd got to know him better."

- Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge just wailed away on a Janis Joplin medley, starting with Stone's take on "Cry Baby" and ending with the Etheridge - bald from the aftereffects of chemotherapy - rocking out to "Piece of My Heart." Joss Stone is 17(!) and has spectacular pipes, and while I've always kind of liked Etheridge, I never really paid attention to the fact that she can freaking belt out a song. This was my favorite part of the show. I always forget how great Janis Joplin was.

- Kanye West, Mavis Staples, and the Blind Boys of Alabama got even the white folks out of their seats during a gospel medley that featured West's hit, "Jesus Walks." The performance was quickly followed with West's Best Rap Album win for The College Dropout and the night's funniest and most poignant acceptance speech.

- The aforementioned Green Day's American Idiot won for Best Rock Album, and then the band played a rollicking, if too short, version of the album's title track. Quoth lead singer Billie Joe, "Rock and roll can be dangerous and fun at the same time." Preach on, brother.

- Alicia Keys can just plain sing. Damn. Although I've seen about enough of Jamie Foxx for a while.

- John Mayer spun a beautiful acoustic version of "Daughters," a song which is scientifically proven to tear the heartstrings of anyone who is the father of female children.

- Gretchen Wilson, Dickey Betts, Tim McGraw, Elvin Bishop, Keith Urban and several others covered a bunch of Skynrd songs, including the obligatory "Free Bird," "Ramblin' Man," and "Sweet Home Alabama." A little out of place, maybe, but pretty tight musically. Gretchen Wilson can cover my song anytime.

- Who knew that Queen Latifah could sing?

- Loretta Lynn is crazy as a shithouse rat, but she and Jack White were sweetly dysfunctional in accepting their award for Best Country Album for their collaboration Van Lear Rose.

Oh, and for Jimmy, I really dig Throwing Copper. Live was part of the best, um, live show I've ever seen, headlining at the Meriwether Post Pavilion with P.J. Harvey and Veruca Salt. But "Pain Lies on the Riverside" is by far my favorite song by the lads from Live.