Paul McCartney Snubbed at Post-Grammys Party

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Macca and Beck (r) among others were turned away from a post-Grammys party (screen cap via TMZ.com)

Did the Grammys rock this year? Not so much. As expected, this year’s winners were heavy on the pop and rap sides of the spectrum, with kudos going to the likes of Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar. That being said, the 58th Annual Grammy Awards were still an emotional rollercoaster for classic rock fans, featuring numerous tributes to late legends and at least a few nods to veteran classic rock acts.

But even the tributes couldn’t stem the tide of falling ratings. This year’s broadcast fell to the lowest numbers since 2009, which likely means buh-bye to LL Cool J, who has inexplicably hosted for five years in a row.

And in case you need further proof of how the times have changed, after the whole extravaganza was over, 18-time Grammy winner McCartney was repeatedly denied entrance to rapper Tyga’s after-party. (If you’re wondering why that was his after-party of choice, McCartney was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song this year for his collaboration with Kanye West on the song “All Day.”) “How VIP do we gotta get? We need another hit,” the former Beatle mused humorously when security turned him away, alongside fellow celebs Beck and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

With so many recent deaths in the music world, the Grammys were the logical place to honor many of those who passed. First, Stevie Wonder and Pentatonix performed Earth, Wind & Fire’s “That’s the Way of the World” in memory of White.

Next, Eagles members Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit joined Jackson Browne and former Eagle Bernie Leadon to pay tribute to Glenn Frey on “Take It Easy,” the band’s breakthrough hit that Frey famously helped Browne finish writing.

Lemmy Kilmister’s son Paul speaking to the press following The Hollywood Vampires’ tribute

Supergroup The Hollywood Vampires (Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Duff McKagan, Joe Perry) honored Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister with a raucous rendition of “Ace of Spades.” Lemmy’s son Paul addressed the press afterwards, saying: “I thought it was great… very moving to respect my father in that way and to pay homage to him. He would have been very proud of that.”

As for his father’s decision to keep performing with Motörhead last fall: “Retire didn’t exist in his vocabulary. For him, it was all the way to the end and he wanted to go with his boots on. He set a great example for hard-working musicians.”

Not everyone was happy with how a late, but accomplished, loved one was treated during the broadcast. Natalie Cole’s sister Timolin told the New York Post‘s Page Six: “Where is the tribute to our sister (who earned 21 Grammy nominations and nine awards)? Why wouldn’t you have a medley of two or three songs?” Cole was instead featured in the “In Memoriam” section.

The always outrageously dressed Lady Gaga offered up a career-spanning David Bowie tribute medley, including everything from “Space Oddity” and “Changes” to “Rebel Rebel,” “Under Pressure” and “Let’s Dance.”

Gary Clark, Jr., Bonnie Raitt and breakout country star Chris Stapleton took turns singing lead in a heartfelt rendition of B.B. King’s signature song, “The Thrill is Gone.”

Although a number of classic rockers received nominations this year – McCartney, James Taylor, Don Henley, Patti Smith, The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Foo Fighters – only a handful actually received awards. Even some rock newcomers were snubbed, like one of our favorites, 28-year-old Courtney Barnett, who was nominated for Best New Artist. (See our review of her record here.) But as Best Classic Bands editor Rob Patterson points out, rock music has long (if not always) been the bastard stepchild in the Grammy Awards family.

There were still a few high points for rock fans, though. Bob Dylan won Best Historical Album for The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11, Joni Mitchell received Best Album Notes for her 2014 album Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced, and Buddy Guy earned Best Blues Album (his seventh Grammy) for Born To Play Guitar. “At least I know the blues is not dead yet,” Guy said of his win.

Amy Winehouse documentary Amy scored Best Music Film, beating out fellow rock docs Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, Sonic Highways (Foo Fighters), and Roger Waters The Wall. The one general category where the classic rock consciousness dominates is in this category. As the original talents age and pass away, films and tributes promise to be a large part of the genre’s Grammy future.