Clive Davis‘ glitzy Pre-Grammy Gala returned to the Beverly Hilton on Saturday night, bringing together its usual cast of high-powered music executives and superstar artists along with performances from living legends and fast-rising stars including Art Garfunkel, Olivia Dean, Clipse, John Legend and Alex Warren.
After the devastating Eaton and Palisades wildfire turned the annual event into more of a fundraising effort last year — Davis’ party was one of the few Grammy Week events that wasn’t canceled in 2025 — the 2026 edition went back to its more traditionally celebratory feel.
Still, the performances kicked off with reverence, as MGK and Jelly Roll started the night with a tribute to heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne. MGK started with a brief performance of “I Don’t Wanna Stop” before he handed off to Jelly, who sang Osbourne’s 1991 power ballad “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”
“Rest in peace to the man the myth, a great husband a great father, get on your feet for Ozzy Osbourne,” Jelly said as he finished the song.
Davis has often had some famous friends introduce him before his introductory speech kicks off the evening, but this year was particularly special as former president Barack Obama recorded a video to honor the executive.
“These days, most folks probably don’t realize how much of the music they love, the soundtrack of their lives, was shaped by one man,” Obama said, recalling his championing of the likes of Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen and Santana. “But we know. So Clive, thank you for trusting the music, for trusting the artists and for reminding us that when you open doors and keep them open, the world sounds a little bit better.”
As always, the gala remained one of the preeminent Hollywood people-watching spots of the season, upholding its tradition as a glorious hodgepodge of stars from across film, TV, music and sports. Among those in the crowd this year were Joni Mitchell, who performed at the gala last year, along with Jack Antonoff, Shaboozey, Rachel Sennott, Bill Maher, Nancy Pelosi, Brian Cox, Madison Beer, Justin Herbert, Paris Hilton, Conan O’Brien, Dave Grohl, Gladys Knight, Gayle King, Lana Del Rey and many more.
Don Lemon, who had just been released after his arrest over his coverage of an anti-ICE church protest in Minnesota, received one of the longest standing ovations of the night after Davis gave him a shoutout between performances.
After Jelly and MGK, best new artist hopeful Alex Warren took the stage next, performing his breakout hit “Ordinary.” Warren was one of three best new artist nominees who played the gala Saturday night, with Olivia Dean singing “Man I Need” while Sombr swaggered his way through “12 to 12.”
Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the singing voices behind KPop Demon Hunters girl group Huntrix, performed their mega-hit “Golden,” the second time they played the song on Saturday alone after performing the track at Universal Music Group’s artist showcase earlier that day.
Clipse and John Legend had the lone rap performance of the evening, playing “The Birds Don’t Sing” off the duo’s Let God Sort Em Out, which heads into the Grammys Sunday nominated for album of the year.
Darren Criss may have had the most-impressive performance of the evening, giving a near spot-on cover of Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets” for a tribute to Elton’s longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin. Icelandic jazz/pop sensation Laufey came out for a duet afterward, with the two playing John and Kiki Dee’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”
In a second tribute for a fallen icon, Jennifer Hudson, a regular at the Davis party, paid homage to Roberta Flack with “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face.”
For years the gala has honored music executives for lifetime achievement, with this year’s recipients being Avery and Monte Lipman, the co-founders of Republic Records, home to Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Post Malone among many more stars.
UMG CEO Lucian Grainge and Stevie Wonder introduced the brothers for their award, with Grainge thanking them for their “lifelong refusal to take no as an answer.”
Monte Lipman called Wonder “the greatest advocate for humanity this business has ever known” and jokingly called Davis “a fucking gangster.”
“This guy will slit your throat for a hit record,” he said as the crowd laughed.
Both the Lipmans emphasized their focus on family during their speeches, speaking about the bond they forged growing up poor and betting their futures on a record label.
“We had nothing, but we had each other,” Avery Lipman said.
Davis has often curated a healthy mix of legends alongside younger Grammy hopefuls for his show, and this year, he tapped Art Garfunkel to end the night, with country duo Dan+Shay coming out first for covers of “Mrs. Robinson” and “All I Know.”
The icon himself, wearing a tuxedo paired with a Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap, recalled recording “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and taking inspiration from Phil Spector’s production of “Ol’ Man River. He thanked Davis for “taking a chance and putting his faith in such a slow five-minute song and giving it life when it was very uncompetitive on the radio.”
He finished the night with a touching performance of the Simon and Garfunkel classic, his vocals accompanied by nothing but a piano as he sat front and center, alone on stage with the crowd’s unbridled attention.
With the gala done, Grammy weekend is finally nearing its close, as the awards will take place this evening at 5 p.m., airing on CBS and Paramount+.
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