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Kenny Chesney, Juanes, Sting to sing songs of Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen will be feted at a MusiCares event on Feb. 8.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Kenny Chesney, Elton John, Juanes, John Legend and Sting are just a few of the artists who have been tapped to pay tribute to Bruce Springsteen on Feb. 8 in Los Angeles.

The MusiCares Person of the Year, staged by the Recording Academy two days before the organization hosts the Grammy Awards, has a reputation for gathering some of the biggest names in pop. It’s a high-priced gala full of one-of-a-kind performances, and this year’s crop features young up-and-comers (the Alabama Shakes), Springsteen contemporaries (Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris) and an out-and-out soul/R&B; legend in Mavis Staples.

The already sold-out charitable event at the Los Angeles Convention Center will also feature the likes of Mumford & Sons, Ben Harper, Faith Hill, Jim James, Natalie Maines, Tim McGraw, Tom Morello, Patti Smith, Eddie Vedder and, last but not least, Neil Young. Participating artists will perform selections from the Springsteen catalog.

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MusiCares, the charitable offshoot of the Recording Academy, has in recent years honored Paul McCartney, Young and Brian Wilson. In 2006, the MusiCares gala honoring Taylor was filmed and aired on PBS, but there are no immediate plans to give the Springsteen event a similar broadcast treatment, said a spokeswoman for the Recording Academy.

But those not in attendance usually get a small taste of what went down at the MusiCares gala at the Grammy Awards. Expect Springsteen to perform a medley with at least of some of those who appeared at the earlier dinner, as McCartney did in 2012 when the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, the Eagles’ Joe Walsh and Springsteen joined him at the Grammys for “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End,” the closing medley from the Beatles’ 1969 “Abbey Road.”

The MusiCares dinner is designed to recognize Springsteen’s philanthropic work, and the artist was chosen in June, long before he began dedicating his time to raise money for the victims of Superstorm Sandy. “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart will emcee the event. Funds raised at the MusiCares gala are dedicated to musicians in financial and medical need.

The 2013 Grammy Awards ceremony is to be held at Staples Center on Feb. 10 and broadcast live for the East Coast on CBS.

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