Celebrating the Grammys--Before and After

The Argyle Hotel was buzzing as BMG Entertainment execs and their friends awaited the night’s big winner: Alicia Keys. The 21-year-old songstress earned five Grammys Wednesday night, marking a major win for Clive Davis. Carlos Santana was on the patio taking in the view. Jimmy Jam was checking out the buffet. Davis, the founder of J Records, was halfway through his victory lap when a friend tapped him on the shoulder. “Alicia’s here,” he said.

Davis immediately excused himself and headed through the thick crowd. He didn’t get very far. Every few steps he was stopped by a well-wisher. “The Bigwig!” one man shouted to Davis. “She’s wonderful!” a woman exclaimed. Another man chimed in: “You did it!” Davis offered thanks and kept moving. The closer he got to Keys’ corner of the room, the more densely packed the dark suits. But the crowd parted for Davis.

Keys sat on a purple couch, under a large photograph of Marlene Dietrich, her braids covered by a pink scarf. Despite the noise and activity around her, she seemed perfectly calm, just taking it all in. Davis went straight to her, and Keys stood as he whispered to her--something about hard work paying off and savoring “the lifetime moments.” (It was a big moment for Davis, as well, who’s credited with discovering Keys. He signed her to Arista Records, then took her with him when he founded J Records.)

Keys listened, closed her silver-glittered eyes and said, “Wow.” And then, “I’m very happy.” They hugged. Then they sat down to eat salad from Chinese takeout boxes (a caterer’s clever idea), while Keys’ bodyguards kept fans at bay.

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Celebrities Indulge in Martinis and Comfort Food

Meanwhile, things were just gearing up a few doors down at the Mondrian Hotel party sponsored by the Warner Music Group.

At one end of the hotel’s restaurant Asia de Cuba, KISS guitarist Paul Stanley grabbed a handful of chocolate-covered strawberries. At the other, Kid Rock, accompanied by Pamela Anderson, appeared content as the sole smoker in the no-smoking restaurant.

At the entrance to the restaurant, Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas was locked in an embrace with a young woman, blocking traffic.

From the top of the Sunset Strip to downtown restaurants, the Grammy parties were scaled back compared with last year, when labels invited thousands of people to attend their celebrations. Guests appeared more intent on networking than letting loose, a logical shift considering the music industry’s recent struggles and massive layoffs.

At one of the downtown parties, EMI had invited guests for an evening of comfort food and martinis at the Park Plaza. Outside, on the outdoor patio that became the epicenter of the party, women in minuscule dresses and men in tight shirts pretended not to notice the sudden explosion of camera flashes that signaled the arrival of singer Nikka Costa, concentrating instead on flagging down waiters who milled around offering drinks to wash down Americana fare of macaroni and cheese and mini cheeseburgers.

A 35-year-old transplant from Chicago was one of several guests who had brought a disposable camera to document her first Grammy party. She didn’t try to shoot Beck, who had made a cursory stop earlier in the evening, she said, but rather, she aimed for shots of strangers. “Unposed photos to get the essence of what the party [is] like,” she said, adding that she preferred to be known only as an urban tourist. “It’s very eclectic,” she said of the EMI party, “really young people with celebrities--the artists--sprinkled throughout.”

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Upstairs, Downstairs at Staples Center

Hours earlier at the Staples Center, there were two distinct experiences of the Grammy Awards. On the lower levels, the event had the aesthetic of a sporting event, despite the cocktail dresses and tuxedos. Guests--including some of the nominees--prepared themselves for the 31/2-hour telecast by eating their fill of hotdogs, hamburgers and Cracker Jacks, which they bought at concession stands along with beer and wine in plastic cups. Grammy souvenirs, T-shirts and show programs were hot sellers.

But no one was buying beer or trinkets upstairs in the sky boxes, where executives from Pepsi, Westwood One, Budweiser and Wells Fargo, among others, went to enjoy the Grammys. Buffets were stocked with lobster and caviar, sushi, steak sandwiches and private bars featured top-shelf vodka and special reserve wines. Around the corner in the private Grand Reserve Club, an invite-only crowd (friends of the Staples Center owners) could gawk at the red carpet from a balcony while sipping champagne and nibbling on foie gras.

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Nominee Fashions Range From Haute to Handmade

During the commercial breaks at the awards show, the best entertainment was the crowd. The black-tie dress code seemed to have a different meaning for every one of the thousands of guests.

One woman wore pants covered in giant, sequined butterflies. Another wore a black dress positioned so carefully on her body that from the side, she appeared to be nude. There were red feather halter tops, ball gowns and lots of cleavage.

Despite this fashion fanfare, Juaquin and Jennifer Hamilton-Youngbird managed to stand out. The couple came to Los Angeles from Shawnee, Okla., because their drumming group, Youngbird, had been nominated for a Grammy.

Jennifer wore an electric blue, satin dress and a wrap with bright sunbursts on it. Juaquin, 27, wore an orange hand- beaded vest, the same one he got married in, he said. Both outfits were decorated by sunburst symbols significant to the southern Cheyenne, Juaquin said, touching his black cowboy hat.

“We found out a month ago that we were coming,” Jennifer, 25, said. “We were so excited we made all our own outfits.... We tried to do glamour our own way.”

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City of Angles runs Tuesday through Friday. E-mail: angles@latimes.com