The one-name brigade (Rihanna, Fergie, Beyoncé, Valentino, etc.) descended on Radio City Music Hall last night for Condé Nast's fifth-annual Fashion Rocks concert. And not surprisingly, the paparazzi were at the ready. When Miley Cyrus breezed down the red carpet without stopping to pose or even cough up a sound bite, they let out a roar so loud it nearly knocked poor Elizabeth Banks off her feet. New York's best-known designers, on the other hand, were happy to give us some face time. Vera Wang was high on Debbie Harry: "I remember when she came on the scene, the level of coolness and how much it's continued to influence all of us." Michael Bastian swore his allegiance to Mary J. Blige. "It's like we've been with her through the good times and the bad," he said. In his defense, it was his first time at Radio City.

The show itself, staged at a breakneck pace compared with previous years, justified the hype. Host Denis Leary skewered celebrity perfumes before ceding the stage to Beyoncé, who has one. The pop diva did a knockout rendition of Etta James' "At Last," then sent the star wattage through the roof when she joined Justin Timberlake for "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing." Mariah Carey's "I'm That Chick," was the perfect setup for the finale, when Kid Rock teamed up with Lynyrd Skynyrd to belt out the southern-rock anthem, "Sweet Home Alabama"—a place that, given the venue and audience, felt worlds away.

— Darrell Hartman