Our first big star of the night entered the backstage area and it was a big one: Paul McCartney.
Sir Paul, "Macca," call him what you will, strolls in sporting a jacket over a white Beatles T-shirt. It's a photo of the Fab Four - taken by his late wife Linda, he tells us - with red clown noses on their faces. The shirt was designed by his daughter Stella and will be sold to raise money for Britain's Comic Relief charity campaign, which kicks off March 13.
McCartney, who will perform himself tonight, says he's most looking forward to seeing Radiohead play on the big stage with the University of Southern California marching band. Paul's a big fan of the critically acclaimed band and they were the only group he mentioned off the top of his head when asked who his favorite musical acts were these days.
Someone asked him about the Beatles famed "White Album," which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. He says after all these years he can look at it dispassionately. And the verdict?
"I think it's fine. It's good. I'm amazed we did it. We were just kids."
Speaking of big accomplishments, he says his biggest was his children. "It's easy achieving them," he jokes.
As for professional victories, he points to his song, "Yesterday." "I was just talking to B.B. King about this and people in our line of work believe in magic and mystery." After noting how many people covered the famed tune - Ray Charles, Elvis, Frank Sinatra - he recalled how he dreamed it up in his sleep and woke up and wrote it down.
"I believe in magic," he says.
- Douglas Hyde, CNN Entertainment Producer