{"id":158157,"date":"2026-01-31T16:55:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T16:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/158157\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T16:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T16:55:10","slug":"mariah-carey-honored-at-musicares-concert-by-adam-lambert-foo-fighters-kesha-and-more-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/158157\/","title":{"rendered":"Mariah Carey honored at MusiCares concert by Adam Lambert, Foo Fighters, Kesha, and more \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 There wasn\u2019t a hint of glitz or glitter when the Grateful Dead was saluted at last year\u2019s MusiCares Person of the Year all-star concert.<\/p>\n

Grateful Dead\u2019s legacy shines at MusiCares concert with Zac Brown, Norah Jones and others<\/a><\/p>\n

But Mariah Carey made up for that in a major way when she was honored Friday night as the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year at the Los Angeles Convention Center. She listened appreciatively \u2014 along with more than 2,500 well-heeled attendees \u2014 as her songs were performed by everyone from Jennifer Hudson, Kesha, Laufey and the vocal trio Flo to John Legend, Charlie Puth, the hard-rocking Foo Fighters (whose ace new drummer, Ilan Rubin, is a San Diego native) and former San Diego singers Adam Lambert and Chant\u00e9 Moore, who duetted with rapper Busta Rhymes.\n<\/p>\n

Adam Lambert, Foo Fighters, Laufey in lineup for Mariah Carey MusiCares tribute concert<\/a><\/p>\n

Carey was suitably glamorous in a sheer black lace floral gown that she topped with a diamond necklace, diamond bracelets and diamond earrings. The train to her gown was so long it required a helper to hold it up behind Carey as she walked to the stage to give her acceptance speech, shortly before the conclusion of the untelevised two-hour concert.<\/p>\n

But if she looked every bit a legendary diva, Carey sounded genuinely moved by having her praises sung, along with more than a dozen of her songs. MusiCares, a branch of the Recording Academy \u2014 under whose auspices the Grammy Awards are presented \u2014 honors an artist each year for their music and philanthropic achievements. The nonprofit charity has raised more than $135 million for musicians and music-industry workers in need since 1989 and last year provided more than $15 million to several thousand victims of the horrific 2025 wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles County.<\/p>\n

The amount raised at Friday\u2019s MusiCares<\/a> event has not yet been disclosed. But the nonprofit will seek to raise more funds with an online auction<\/a> \u2014 including Carey\u2019s pink Cadillac \u2014 on Sunday.\n<\/p>\n

The famed singer is only the third female solo artist to be honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year since 2015, following in the footsteps of Dolly Parton in 2019 and Joni Mitchell in 2022.<\/p>\n

Dolly Parton reunites with Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris at Grammy MusiCares gala<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOh my god! It\u2019s overwhelming in the best possible way,\u201d Carey, 56, told the audience. \u201cTonight has been sublime. To hear my songs reimagined by some of the world\u2019s greatest artists, it\u2019s surreal! When I was a little girl scribbling lyrics in my notebook late at night, I could only dream of someone hearing those words and relating to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever in my wildest dreams did I think I\u2019d be here with all these magnificent artists singing my songs back to me, infusing them with their own artistry and giving them all new life. This has given me life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MariahMariah Carey described her 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year honor as \u201csublime\u201d and \u201csurreal\u201d Friday night at the Los Angeles Convention Center. (Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)<\/p>\n

\u201cBut tonight is not only about me,\u201d Carey stressed. \u201cIt\u2019s about this incredible organization, MusiCares, whether it\u2019s providing health care, financial support or simply offering a shoulder to lean on, MusiCares reminds us that behind all the glitz and glamor, there are real people who need care and community\u2026 We have to remember this organization thrives because of generosity, yours, mine, ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of Friday\u2019s performers seemed to relish the opportunity to take on some of Carey\u2019s biggest hits \u2014 her run of 19 U.S. chart-topping singles is second only to The Beales \u2014 \u00a0although Laufey\u2019s bossa nova-tinged version of \u201cIt\u2019s Like That\u201d was more pleasantly innocuous than inspired.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Hudson took to the stage after a brief DJ opening set by Jermaine Dupree. She brought gospel fervor to her medley of Carey\u2019s \u201cI Don\u2019t Wanna Cry,\u201d \u201cMy All,\u201d \u201cVision of Love\u201d and \u201cMake It Happen.\u201d Hudson was also one of the only performers of the night with the gumption and vocal range to hit the higher-than-high \u201cwhistle notes\u201d that are a Carey trademark.<\/p>\n

\"JenniferJennifer Hudson performed a medley of Mariah Carey\u2019s songs at Friday\u2019s MusiCares concert in Los Angeles. (Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)<\/p>\n

Kesha and Maggie Rogers both impressed with their versions of, respectively, Carey\u2019s \u201cObsessed\u201d and \u201cHoney.\u201d Both looked delighted to pay tribute to the glittery star of the night. \u201cYou\u2019re the coolest!\u201d Rogers told Carey at the conclusion of her expertly calibrated rendtiion of \u201cHoney.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carey is the primary songwriter of most of her songs, including her 19 chart-topping hits. They are not easy to sing, especially given the shifting key signatures and unusual modulations she has often deployed to showcase her multi-octave voice. That made it doubly pleasing to hear some of the male singers who saluted her Friday at MusiCares.<\/p>\n

Lambert dug deep into \u201cCan\u2019t Let Go,\u201d which he delivered with soulful elan and Broadway-honed finesse. Puth delivered a slow-burning rendition of \u201cI Still Believe\u201d that was as tasteful as it was impassioned. Both performed at the center of a smaller revolving stage at the center of the venue, a setting that enabled each of them to achieve a welcome sense of musical intimacy.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer San Diego vocal dynamo Adam Lambert performed Friday at the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year gala concert honoring Mariah Carey in Los Angeles. (Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)<\/p>\n

Billy Porter gave a characteristically over-the-top performance as he punctuated Carey\u2019s \u201cAlways Be My Baby\u201d with spirited whoops and hollers. John Legend was note-perfect, if a tad too suave, on \u201cHero,\u201d while Teddy Swims sounded reverent as he performed Harry Nilsson\u2019s soaring ballad, \u201cWithout You\u201d( a rare Carey hit that she did not write or co-write herself).<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was terrifying!\u201d Swims told Carey and the cheering crowd after completing \u201cWithout You.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest surprise, and one of the most striking moments of the night, came when Foo Fighters and The Pretty Reckless singer Tayor Momsen teamed up. Together, they performed two numbers from \u201cSomeone\u2019s Ugly Daughter,\u201d the \u201csecret grunge\u201d album Carey recorded in 1995. The album was credited to Chick and featured Carey as a vocal accompanist, not the lead singer.<\/p>\n

\"TaylorTaylor Momsen, at right, sang with Foo Fighters at Friday\u2019s 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year concert honoring Mariah Carey in Los Angeles. Guitarist Dave Grohl is at left.(Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)<\/p>\n

Although she did not write any of the songs on the lone album by Chick, Carey happily sang along from the audience as Momsen and Foo Fighters ripped through \u201cHermit\u201d and \u201cLove Is A Scam\u201d with full-throttle velocity. The brash energy they produced was propelled by the high-octane playing of Rubin, the San Diego drummer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee who joined Foo Fighters last year.<\/p>\n

San Diego\u2019s Ilan Rubin is the new drummer in Foo Fighters<\/a><\/p>\n

While many previous MusiCares concerts stretched to nearly three hours, Friday\u2019s edition honoring Carey was just a few minutes over two hours. To the likely disappointment of many attendees, she did not perform any songs on her own. Carey sang for barely a minute during the Jon Batiste-led grand finale of \u201cAll I Want For Christmas,\u201d a classic whose festive seasonal ebullience was somewhat tempered by the fact the temperature in Los Angeles on Friday had climbed into the mid-80s.<\/p>\n

Yet, while Carey\u2019s music was often in the limelight, one of the most memorable appearances Friday was entirely spoken, rather than sung, during Stevie Wonder\u2019s surprise appearance.<\/p>\n

The only artist of the night to address the tumultuous state of our polaeized nation and world, Wonder followed his praise for Carey with a heartfelt plea.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you speak, it\u2019s for free,\u201d Wonder told the audience.\u00a0\u201cWhen you talk, it\u2019s for free. When you sing, it\u2019s for free. It\u2019s been given to you, the gift of life, which is free.<\/p>\n

\u201cI say to all of you, not just here but throughout the world, never let anyone think they can take your freedom away.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2014 There wasn\u2019t a hint of glitz or glitter when the Grateful Dead was saluted at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[71332,28681,77201,77200,47205,64805,74,76,75,60527],"class_list":["post-158157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-adam-lambert","tag-grammy-awards","tag-jennifer-hudson","tag-kesha","tag-mariah-carey","tag-musicares","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-stevie-wonder"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}