Last night was our 2008 tribute to the Who, and it rocked. Oh…you didn’t watch it? Busy doing laundry or listening to Coldplay? Well save whatever lame excuses you have to offer, and start thanking us, because we’ve got every performance from last night’s show right here. Just click on the above video to watch Rainn Wilson‘s “special” “Pinball Wizard” tribute, performances from Tenacious D, Foo Fighters, Incubus and Pearl Jam, and of course, the rock icons themselves the Who. No need to thank us. Just watch.
Not near a television? You should be, as Rock Honors: The Who is going down right now, featuring every rock stars’ rock star. Don’t worry though — we’ve got some highlights from the show below. Check it out and tell us which one is your favorite!
It’s not until you hear them play a Who song that you realize Pearl Jam take so much from the band– and on “Love Reign O’er Me,” they give it back. The track’s a frequent cover in the grunge godfathers’ set, and its obvious why: Vedder wails through the song, pleading, as the rest of the band shreds to keep up.
It wouldn’t be a party if Boy in the Bubble and Flaming Lips frontmanWayne Coyne didn’t roll around in the audience in his big inflatable ball for a while, getting the crowd appropriately amped as they play the beginnings of “See Me, Feel Me” (which Wayne told us before the show was a personal favorite) before launching into a searing medley from Tommythat includes “Pinball Wizard.” To find out what else the Oklahoma psych-rockers played, check the clip above.
For Tenacious D frontman Jack Black to call the Who “the greatest band of all time” is a pretty big deal, as that’s usually a title he saves for his own band. Watch the merry pranksters strum through a fun version of “Squeezebox” in the clip above.
Tonight’s Rock Honors: The Who show promises to be full of all types of stars — from rock to reality — and we happen to know a few of your favorites attended. Rock of Love 2‘s Ambre and I Love New York‘s Mr. Boston were on hand for the festivities. Check out who else was at the show, and of course, watch what went down when the Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam and Incubus honored the Who.
See more pics from Rock Honors below.
The big show happens tonight at 9/8c, and we hope you’re ready. You’ll need some Union Jack flags to drape yourselves in, some guitars to smash and obviously, the ability to rock out. At Saturday night’s taping, Adam Sandler (he of Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore fame) was kind enough to introduce the Who, and who knew Adam had some chops himself? Watch the video above to see his humorous “Magic Bus” tribute to the band, and then watch as the Who, Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam tear up the stage. To see who else was there, check out our backstage and after-party shots.
The gentlemen from Pearl Jam had an excellent time worshiping at the alter of the Who on Saturday night when we taped this year’s Rock Honors, but don’t take our word for it. In the clip above, watch the grunge godfathers tear it up when they play “The Real Me” (and check out the typically scowling Eddie Vedder’s huge grin at the end).
Can’t wait for tomorrow night’s show? Check out live performances from the Who and the Foo Fighters on-stage, and read our behind-the-scenes coverage of the event. Want to hit next year’s in the flesh? Enter to win, and you just may end up there.
Our man on the scene, Steve Pavlopoulos, was delivering up-to-the-minute reports from Rock Honors: The Who (which taped this weekend) on what you’ll see tomorrow, July 17th at 9 pm on VH1. Check out his behind-the-scenes look at what went down on rock’s front lines. The following report comes from the Foo Fighters‘ soundcheck, but watch the above video to see how it all pans out!
I’m sitting back by the celebrity trailer park that is home to the rock legends who have come out to play here at the UCLA campus for Rock Honors and everything appears to be going swimmingly (or at least that’s what they want me to think). The Garnier Green Room (sponsored by Garnier – get it?) is a hotbed of drinking, hors d’oevres, people who have VIP status and Rock Band. So far, we’ve seen Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D fame, the Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder, Kiefer Sutherland, and Gaz Coombes of Supergrass (more on that later). As far as I can tell, rock stars are unanimous on at least one thing: riding in electric golf carts rules. I sort of get it – your hair flies freely in the wind, you can silently maneuver the outside of the venue, and you can deliver high fives to any passerby who might want a little skin.
This year’s Rock Honors taped this weekend, and we had The Office‘s Rainn Wilson sneak backstage to get the scoop from this year’s performers (Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters) and the main event (the Who). Watch Rainn diss Pearl Jam and talk Rock Band with Pete Townsend in the above clips, and be sure to tune in Thursday at 9/8c to watch what went down on-stage. We’ll also have more backstage reports all week, so check back!
Want to head to next year’s Rock Honors? Enter here to win tickets to 2009′s event.
Our man on the scene, Steve Pavlopoulos, was delivering up-to-the-minute reports from Rock Honors: The Who (which taped this weekend) on what you’ll see this Thursday, July 17th at 9 pm on VH1. Check out his behind-the-scenes look at what went down on rock’s front lines. The above shot is from Saturday night’s festivities — check out more shots for a sneak peek at the show. Can’t wait to see Pearl Jam on Thursday? Watch them rock right now.
These events do this to me every time: I look forward to them before they come up, but when they actually happen, I am completely blown away by what I consider a once-in-a-lifetime live music experience. I walked out of the Pavilion at the beginning of Pearl Jam’s soundcheck and had to stop to look back in awe. (No kidding – and probably the first time I’ve ever been seen rocking out while carrying a $3,000 tripod.) From the first chord, you could tell that they meant business. They know (and love) this music, as the Who is in their lifeblood. Expect their set to be filled with songs from Quadrophenia, with the help of a string and horn section. The best thing about this venue is that when you exit the Pavilion, you can still hear the music pouring out and enveloping a good portion of the UCLA campus in glorious rock.
Our man on the scene, Steve Pavlopoulos, was delivering up-to-the-minute reports from Rock Honors: The Who (which taped this weekend) on what you’ll see this Thursday, July 17th at 9 pm on VH1. Check out his behind-the-scenes look at what went down on rock’s front lines. The above shot is from Saturday night’s festivities — check out more shots for a sneak peek at the show.
After a big night of some good-natured, post-work partying (Sunday morning, the hotel lobby was abuzz with talk of the “robe party” that rocked the 18th floor –- all I’m at liberty to say is leopards and zebras know how to bring the fun), I was back at work running around, carrying things, sitting in chairs, and taking care of business…
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The stage is being set for Rock Honors: The Who at the Pauley Pavilion. I’m lucky enough to have an all-access pass, and walking around a day before the show, you can tell something big is in the air. The monitors are being tested and the psychedelic images are flowing –- giant pulsating speakers, trees, planets — I see it all, man (and it totally makes sense). OK, so there may be one or two acid flashbacks in the course of reporting, but this is the Who, and if you’ve seen the movie Tommy, we should be on the same page.
To find out what’s going on behind the scenes the day before the big show, take the jump.
