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The 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards kicked off with one of the show’s most animated opening performances ever. The imaginary cartoon band Gorillaz and the legendary superstar Madonna engaged in a high-tech collaboration that mashed up the former’s global smash “Feel Good Inc.” featuring <a href="/artists/de-la-soul/7793">De La Soul</a> and the latter’s resurgent retro hit “Hung Up,” all to fine and altogether funky effect.

Alicia Keys and <a href="/artists/stevie-wonder/8257">Stevie Wonder</a> then took the stage as the first presenters at this host-less GRAMMY show, using a lower-tech approach to soulfully set up the first GRAMMY Awards since the destruction of the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina. “We can’t ignore that the past year has been a hard one for a lot of people including our friends from New Orleans — that most musical city — and the Gulf Coast,” Keys noted before she and Wonder reminded a watching world of music’s ability to lift us up to “Higher Ground.” This dynamic duo got the Staples Center crowd singing and clapping along to an a cappella version of “Higher Ground” that Wonder also dedicated to “the first lady of civil rights” Coretta Scott King, who died just days before the GRAMMY ceremony.

The pair then presented the first award of the evening for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (“Since U Been Gone”) to <a href="/artists/kelly-clarkson/11249">Kelly Clarkson</a>, whose later performance was introduced by a clip of her speaking of her dream to someday sing on the GRAMMYs — an inspiring self-introduction on a night that featured a few such moments. Bono, for example, set up <a href="/artists/u2/7858">U2</a>’s performance this way: “U2 is not a rock band really. I think it’s like we’re a folk band or something — the loudest folk band in the world. But once in a while there arrives a song like ‘Vertigo’ that makes you want to burn your house to the ground.”

Indeed, U2 were burning brightly throughout this stunning GRAMMY night — winning five awards, including Album Of The Year and Best Rock Album (How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb), and Song Of The Year (“Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”). “Being in a rock band is like running away with the circus, except you always think you’re gonna be the ringmaster,” Bono explained at one point. “You don’t expect that on more than a few occasions you may end up being the clown, the freak. But even that’s okay because you’re in show business.”

One of the other notable winners on this GRAMMY night was <a href="/artists/mariah-carey/856">Mariah Carey</a> who won three GRAMMYs, her first in fifteen years. Yet this was one of those nights when all the talk was not about the awards. Wittily and fittingly introduced by comedian Dave Chappelle in one of his first appearances on TV since famously leaving his beloved Comedy Central series (“Folks, the only thing harder than leaving show business is coming back”), the famously reclusive Sly Stone returned to show business, albeit briefly, at the end of a musical salute to his extraordinarily soulful music with the Family Stone that featured members of the original band along with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Best New Artist <a href="/artists/john-legend/16994">John Legend</a>, Joss Stone, Ciara, <a href="/artists/maroon-5/13090">Maroon 5</a> and many other admirers.

Ellen DeGeneres, meanwhile, offered one of the most honest and minimal introductions in GRAMMY history, stating, “Our next performer needs no introduction,” before leaving the stage as Paul McCartney launched into a rousing rendition of “Fine Line” from his nominated Chaos And Creation In The Backyard album. McCartney then explained this was his first GRAMMY performance and, referring to a famous John Lennon line, now that he had “passed the audition” he’d like to rock a little, before offering a blistering take on the Beatles classic “Helter Skelter.” McCartney would later return to provide a brilliantly multigenerational highlight of the show when he joined <a href="/artists/jay-z/9815">Jay-Z</a> and <a href="/artists/linkin-park/4003">Linkin Park</a> to mash up his classic “Yesterday” with “Numb/Encore” for a classic moment of GRAMMY musical harmony.

After many other highlights — including <a href="/artists/kanye-west/6900">Kanye West</a> and Jamie Foxx showing lots of cool old-school spirit in a big production number of “Gold Digger” — the show ended with a tribute to the sound and spirit of New Orleans. First, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow acknowledged the quick response of MusiCares in offering financial aid in the Gulf Coast. “Go to New Orleans,” Portnow declared before such Crescent City greats as Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas and Dr. John took the stage, along with The Edge, Elvis Costello, <a href="/artists/yolanda-adams/105">Yolanda Adams</a> and Bonnie Raitt, among others. Then they were joined by Sam Moore and <a href="/artists/bruce-springsteen/6389">Bruce Springsteen</a> to salute the late great Wilson Pickett with the nearly fitting “In The Midnight Hour,” a stirring ending to a night of great soul and substance.

Gold Digger

Hollaback Girl

Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

Feel Good Inc.

We Belong Together

Record Of The Year

Late Registration

How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

Chaos And Creation In The Backyard

The Emancipation Of Mimi

Album Of The Year

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

Ordinary People

Devils & Dust

Bless The Broken Road

Song Of The Year

Best New Artist

I Will Not Be Broken

Good Is Good

Since U Been Gone

It's Like That

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

From The Bottom Of My Heart

Lonely No More

Walk On By

Fine Line

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

My Doorbell

This Love

More Than Love

Mr. Brightside

Don't Lie

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal

A Time To Love

A Song For You

Virginia Moon

Gone Going

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals

Caravan

Agave

Gelo Na Montanha

T-Jam

In Our Time

Best Pop Instrumental Performance

Flipside

Belladonna

Naked Guitar

Bloom

At This Time

Best Pop Instrumental Album

Wildflower

Breakaway

Extraordinary Machine

Best Pop Vocal Album

Guilt Is A Useless Emotion

I Believe In You

Daft Punk Is Playing At My House

Wonderful Night

Say Hello

Galvanize

Best Dance Recording

LCD Soundsystem

Minimum-Maximum

Palookaville

Human After All

Push The Button

Best Electronic/Dance Album

Thanks For The Memory...The Great American Songbook Volume IV

Moonlight Serenade

Isn't It Romantic

It's Time

The Art Of Romance

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

The Painter

This Is How A Heart Breaks

Shine It All Around

Revolution

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance

All These Things That I've Done

Do You Want To

Best Of You

Speed Of Sound

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal

B.Y.O.B.

Little Sister

Tin Pan Valley

The Hand That Feeds

Doesn't Remind Me

Best Hard Rock Performance

Before I Forget

What Drives The Weak

Mein Teil

Determined

The Great Satan

Best Metal Performance

Lotus Feet

Mercy

69 Freedom Special

Birds Of Prey

Beat Box Guitar

Best Rock Instrumental Performance

City Of Blinding Lights

Beverly Hills

Best Rock Song

Prairie Wind

A Bigger Bang

In Your Honor

Best Rock Album

Get Behind Me Satan

You Could Have It So Much Better

Plans

Guero

Funeral

Best Alternative Music Album

Unbreakable

Free Yourself

Wishing On A Star

1 Thing

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

So What The Fuss

Superstar

Let Me Love You

Creepin'

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

How Will I Know

So High

If This World Were Mine

Cater 2 U

So Amazing

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Stay With You

If I Was Your Woman

A House Is Not A Home

Summertime

Mine Again

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Ghetto Rock

Welcome To Jamrock

Dust

Dirty Harry

SupaStar

Best Urban/Alternative Performance

Best R&B Song

Get Lifted

Unplugged

Illumination

Best R&B Album

Turning Point

Destiny Fulfilled

Touch

Best Contemporary R&B Album

U Don't Know Me

Number One Spot

Disco Inferno

Mockingbird

Testify

Best Rap Solo Performance

Wait (The Whisper Song)

Hate It Or Love It

Encore

The Corner

Don't Phunk With My Heart

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group

Rich Girl

Numb/Encore

Soldier

They Say

1,2 Step

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Lose Control

Diamonds From Sierra Leone

Candy Shop

Best Rap Song

The Massacre

The Cookbook

Best Rap Album

Georgia Rain

I May Hate Myself In The Morning

All Jacked Up

Mississippi Girl

The Connection

Best Female Country Vocal Performance

You'll Think Of Me

Alcohol

Good Ol' Boys

Midnight Communion

As Good As I Once Was

Funny How Time Slips Away

48th Annual GRAMMY Awards