Continued from page 4

Norah Comes Away with Grammy Sweep

By Stephen M. Silverman

Sunday February 23, 2003 01:00 PM EST

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8:45 p.m.: Simon & Garfunkel Kick Off the Grammys

Youth may dominate the music industry these days, but a couple old folk singers from the '60s got the 45th annual Grammys off to a moving start inside New York's Madison Square Garden Sunday night.

As had been rumored for days, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited for their first public performance in a decade. Introduced by Dustin Hoffman (whose film "The Graduate" featured their music as its soundtrack), the legends delivered "The Sounds of Silence" to an appreciative audience that rose to its collective feet as the duo finished its song.

With that, the tone for the evening's ceremony was set: awesome and all encompassing.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome," Hoffman, 65, told the crowd, with the ceremony broadcast live on CBS. "I don't know about you, but I can't think of a more fitting way to open the show than with Simon & Garfunkel, who defined a generation."

Added Hoffman: "For the first time ever, in the history of the 45 years that the Grammy Awards have been going on, this show is being hosted by nobody -- except by the people of New York City."

This year's Grammy marks the first time in five years that the show has been in Manhattan, and the first time since the attacks of 9/11.

As a nod to the tragic day, three Grammys went to Bruce Springsteen during a pre-show presentation, for best male rock performance, best rock song and best rock album, all for his 2002 release "The Rising" and its title track. (All told, Springsteen is up for five Grammys.)

The night's early performances included Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, who delivered a medley of "Underneath It All" and "Hella Good," just in time for presenters Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground and former Nirvana member Dave Grohl (now of the Foo Fighters) to hand them the first Grammy on the broadcast, for best pop vocal performance by a duo or group, for "Hey Baby."

"I'm going to cry," said Stefani.

The first half-hour wrapped with a smooth performance by Norah Jones, singing her "Don't Know Why," a contender for the night's biggest awards: record of the year and song of the year. She also won a Grammy right off the bat with her "Come Away with Me," which was named best pop vocal album.

Jones, 23, was presented her award by Kylie Minogue and Justin Timberlake, who asked the Aussie pop sensation on stage if he could grab her rear end again, like he had done earlier backstage.

Replied Minogue: "Nooooooooooooo."