When Cheap Seats Rule : The Post-VH1 Honors Party to Be at Was Not the One for VIPs

The Scene: Sunday’s “VH1 Honors” at the Universal Amphitheater. Two parties followed the concert that raised $350,000 for the Witness organization, which provides video cameras, fax machines and training to human rights groups around the world. “It turns ‘1984’ upside down,” said MTV Networks Chairman Tom Freston. “People have control of the information, not the governments.” (Despite the delusion of some audience members, Witness has nothing to do with the Witness Protection Program, which chaperons survival-challenged ex-Mafiosos, among others, into anonymity.)

The Venue: There was an outdoor VIP reception hosted by Geffen Records that had the ambience of a music industry garden party. At the same time, VH1 had 3,000 guests in a 16,000-square-foot tent with 20 buffets from Along Came Mary, video walls, booming sound system and light shows. It was a rare case of the proletariat’s party being superior to the elite’s.

Who Was There: Among the performers and presenters were Witness co-founder Peter Gabriel, host Tim Robbins, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Oliver Stone, Don Henley, Joan Osborne, Rod Stewart, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Stipe, and VH1 execs John Sykes, Linda Corradina, Wayne Isaak and Josh Katz. One guest asked the pertinent question: Is Don Henley the Oliver Stone of rock ‘n’ roll, or is Stone the Henley of film?

Overheard: While Joan Osborne was performing, one woman asked another: “Do you think I’d look good with a nose ring?”

Quoted: When asked if political involvement should be expected of celebrities, Tim Robbins said: “I don’t think it’s part of the job description. If it’s who you are, you should do it. I don’t think you should shut up just because you’re a celebrity.”

Dress Mode: The entire fashion spectrum, from floor-length, blue sequined ball gowns to Melrose Avenue-style grunge couture. When an Anna Nicole Smith-wannabe strolled by hanging out of a satin evening dress, one guest said: “Get the camera. I think we’re witnessing an atrocity right now.”

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