''You bastard,'' Bernie Taupin barked at Don Henley Friday night. Taupin, Elton John's longtime lyricist, probably wasn't the first person to voice that sentiment about the Eagle, who from time to time has been called ''a bit of a curmudgeon,'' as Taupin also noted. But in this context, as co-host of the annual MusiCares benefit dinner and tribute to Henley, the organization's 2007 Person of the Year, Taupin was speaking as a green-eyed songwriting rival — as in, ''My envy knows no bounds'' — after admiringly reciting some of the ''Faulkner-like'' lyrics of Henley's song ''A Month of Sundays'' from the podium.

But who among tunesmiths wouldn't be jealous? (Excepting, of course, Mojo Nixon, who famously wrote ''Don Henley Must Die,'' a tribute in itself.) Friday night's program, split between all-star tribute performances and a mini-set by the honoree himself, made the case anew for Henley as the best pop songwriter — or, at the absolute least, the greatest lyrical ballad-writer — of his generation. Henley seemed suddenly taken with his oeuvre, after hearing all the covers by his peers, when he said, ''I actually started to like some of these songs again.'' As well he should. ''Hotel California'' sums up the counterculture better than any other tune; ''Boys of Summer'' encapsulates the post-boomer experience more than anything could hope to, etc., etc.... bastard.

But first, we had to stab it with our steely knives — the grass-fed beef tenderloin and free range airline chicken breast with pomegranate glaze, that is. That chicken range must've been awfully big since the sold-out dinner had 2,300 attendees (with more on the waiting list) gathered in a mammoth L.A. Convention Hall ballroom that seemed to be nearly the size of the adjoining Staples Center. Neil Portnow, head of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, announced that the dinner had raised more than $4.2 million for MusiCares — the Grammys' charity wing.

Then came the entertainment: John Mayer wailing on guitar on a cover of ''Dirty Laundry,'' fellow Eagle Timothy B. Schmit doing — wait for it — ''I Can't Tell You Why.'' (The poor guy has to sing the same single song every night of his professional life, and they couldn't give him a break tonight?) Sam Moore (an inspired choice) making blatant the latent R&B of ''The Long Run.'' Keb Mo, finding something even smoother and silkier in ''One of These Nights.'' Seal, who seemed to take the original ''One of These Nights'' groove that Keb Mo didn't use, and transplanting it into ''Best of My Love'' instead. Michael McDonald, maybe not yours or my first choice to cover ''The Heart of the Matter,'' just singing the hell out of that all-time emotional elegy. Trisha Yearwood managing to ''Take It to the Limit,'' and Shawn Colvin finding a pot of gold at the ''End of the Innocence.'' And then the Dixie Chicks, who've been out riding some fences themselves, nailing ''Desperado.''

Henley's closing four-song set was strong, but even better was his ''acceptance'' speech, where he riffed on how MusiCares aids ailing musicians. Too bad it wasn't around, Henley said, when Woody Herman died broke. ''He was signed to Columbia, of course.'' Then there was the songwriting great Stephen Foster, who also died indigent, and was, according to Henley, an EMI-Capitol dependent. Mozart was buried ''penniless in a pauper's grave. He was signed by Doug Morris and Jimmy Iovine. Salieri, his rival, never became popular... one of the many signed to Warner Bros. who were never heard from again.'' Of course he had to save that coup de grace for WB, the last label to which he was signed as a solo artist. But Henley could afford to piss off the big four label groups: The Eagles just announced they're putting out their forthcoming studio comeback album as — no lie — an indie WalMart exclusive. The end of the major-label innocence, indeed.