By Sarah Maslin Nir

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Abraham Lincoln was staring at me.

OK, it was just his statue. But as I stood in the back recesses of the stage during the rehearsals for the "We Are One" inaugural celebration Saturday while on assignment for Rolling Stone, sandwiched between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, I was sure that if I took a step any direction, someone — a guard, a policeman, even Abe himself — would sound the alarm bells and send me packing. In front of me, dozens of gospel singers were humming and oohing the chorus of Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising." Over the sea of their shoulders I could see the Boss himself, standing at the edge of the stage facing them, teaching them his lyrics.

My objective was to get as close as an average person (i.e. one without official clearance) could possibly get to the rehearsals. As I wandered closer and closer to the stage, I realized no one was stopping me. Offstage, James Taylor and John Legend were strumming, Shakira, Will.I.Am and Stevie Wonder were loosely jamming, but I was drawn to the memorial's steps by the swelling choir sounds and Bruce's husky voice.

Hesitantly, I put a toe on the first step to the stage. I was immediately spotted. Read more...

By Matt Harper

Tomorrow is a big day for Baltimore "electronic" musician Dan Deacon. Please take note: I'm putting "electronic" in quotes because after tomorrow — when Dan takes the stage of the Brooklyn Masonic Temple with a full 14-piece ensemble — he can no longer be called an electronic musician ... which is the point of the whole thing, I suppose.

My co-worker and I got the opportunity to drive to Baltimore this week to check out Dan and his 14-piece entourage practice for the very first time for their upcoming show. So after two speeding tickets and a belly full of Waffle House, we made it to the practice space where Deacon would realize his vision of translating his pulsing, addictively danceable beats into live instrumentation.

(More from the Dan Deacon rehearsal, after the jump!) Read more...

By Rahman Dukes

Atlanta's self-proclaimed King of the South T.I. was holed up in Manhattan's esteemed S.I.R. Studio on Wednesday, readying himself for a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom that evening and the bigger stage at “Saturday Night Live” days later.

Clad in a mesh, black Gucci hat with red-and-green trim and his signature Akoo clothing line (loved the College jacket), Tip was bouncing back and forth between the rehearsal room, which included a host of young kids, and the studio's lobby, where label rep Mike Kaiser stood feverishly working his Blackberry to regulate T.I.'s schedule for the week.

Check out our clip of him with his live band after the jump! Read more...

Saving Abel might not be household names just yet, but that could all change when the band performs alongside Ludacris, 50 Cent and other superstars on "A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE," airing Friday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.

We got a sneak peek at the band's performance during a rehearsal of their song "18 Days" inside New York's Nokia Theatre Times Square. Frontman Jared Weeks plans to send a special message to veterans before their performance — but we're not giving everything away here. You have to tune in to hear what he has to say!

The band should fit right in with the mostly veteran-filled crowd during the show: Weeks was sporting a few dog-tag chains around his neck, which he said were sent to him by fans in the military.

There were four giant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling above the band during rehearsal that we could have sworn were going to fall because of the vibration from the band's rocking. The stage also had what looked like ninja stars stacked on top of one another behind the band. The lighting scheme — appropriately enough — was red, white and blue, except when the guys were bathed in a golden-red glow during their rehearsal.

But why take our word for it when you can see for yourself? Check out our pictures from the run-through, and make sure to tune in Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on MTV for even more.

(Follow us inside the BRAVE rehearsals and see more Saving Abel, after the jump!)

"Stand up for the vets," Ludacris said onstage during his rehearsal for "A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE." For the most part, 'Cris kept his practice pretty low-key, but you know he's going to bring the thunder during showtime.

"Check one, two," Luda said into the mic.

"Play 'Stand Up,' " he told his DJ during soundcheck. Luda was very normal and businesslike as he paced with his hand in his pocket while going over his bars.

"Turn it down a little," the Grammy winner directed. "On the monitor, not the vocals. That's perfect. So do it from the top? Good.

Read more and check out photos from the rehearsal after the jump.
Read more...

Before Travis Barker and DJ AM were hurt in a plane crash over the weekend, the duo performed as the VMA house band and lived their dream of performing with LL Cool J.

Two days before the big show, MTV News caught the pair's last-minute rehearsal moments. Take a look back at their rehearsal with Katy Perry, for her performance of "Like a Virgin." While Katy sang the iconic Madonna hit, the guys were cool and relaxed and seemed like they were having a genuinely good time. Travis drummed away, and DJ AM laughed and smiled while spinning the track.

(Check out video from the rehearsal after the jump.)
Read more...

FROM BUZZWORTHY: Nothing says "you've been sitting on your ass, blogging for four days straight" better than running around the Paramount lot with several hundred Jonas Brothers fans dressed like Jonas Sisters, under the hot Hollywood sun for over two hours.

Those of you in the advanced stages of OJD probably have spent enough time online tonight to know that Jonas Brothers held their VMA rehearsal here just a few short hours ago and that it involved a New York street set, hundreds of JB fans, and running. Epic, unbelievable amounts of running (for me anyway). And like the faithful Jonas Brothers correspondent I am, I was entrenched in the crowd of the lucky OJD fans rehearsing for tomorrow's show (you can play "Spot the BlackBerrying Blogger" in the last photo of this post. Warning: digression -- yes, I am indeed wearing a fanny pack, and I'm fine with that, even though I've been subjected to ridicule by some of my co-workers back in the production offices. They just don't get that hands free is the only way to be. I'll show them!)

Read more and see photos of Jonas Brothers' VMA rehearsal at buzzworthy.mtv.com!

By Matt Elias

Well, the beautiful weather in London was short-lived, but that didn't stop Amy Winehouse from soundchecking Friday in Hyde Park. Despite the drizzle, Amy (who was featured in a bizarre Rolling Stone article this week) is at least that much closer to performing at Friday night's concert honoring Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday, which also features Annie Lennox, Simple Minds, Queen, Leona Lewis and the Soweto Gospel Choir. More than 40,000 people are expected to attend the show, according to CNN.
Read more...

... Primarily so I don't screw up royally. This is a serious-looking pic of Tim and me at the morning read-through, which is an industry term for "the time where everyone fumbles through and causes the show producers to worry."

I don't know how much I'm allowed to give away about this week's show, but suffice it to say, Pete's lined up a doozy, including a performance by a guy who may or may not have just sold a million records in one week ...

You gotta tune in because, otherwise, what the heck are we rehearsing for?