Ring-tosses for a new Sidekick phone was only one perk at the Grammy Appreciation Show at the Warfield Tuesday night. It was one stop in a five-city customer appreciation tour.

"The Grammy's are a very exclusive event. Here, we're bringing the Grammy's to everyone," a PR representative for Recording Academy said.

San Francisco was honored with performances by N.E.R.D and Natasha Bedingfield. All tickets for shows on the tour are completely free. Tickets were available at select T-Mobile and promotional locations as well as a promotional at the Sidekick website.

"We just jumped on their tour bus yesterday and they gave us tickets," said Charlotte Appleyard, 24. Appleyard and her friend, Lisa Duncan, 24, are visiting for a week from Manchester, England.

"This pretty much completed our holiday," Duncan said. "But I think if Pharrell was on that bus I wouldn't have gotten off!"

Fans were extremely appreciative at the fact that the artists were performing at the concert sans profits from their fans.

"This shows it isn't about the money," SF State alum Kamilah Richardson said. "That's what music is about. It shouldn't be about when you make it. It should just be sharing the music."

Enzyme Dynamite, of the popular Bay Area based rap group The Bayliens, thinks the free concert is great for the artists' marketing.

"These days it's the music that is for free," Dynamite said. "When you give them your music for free they trust you. And then they'll support your merchandise, and that's where the money comes."

The Bayliens are an underground rap group who've become very popular in the Phillipines, as well as the West Coast and Canada.

Like Pharrell, The Bayliens have built their merchandise empire to include skateboards and clothing, and Enzyme Dynamite is releasing a book in the fall titled "Baylien Invasion."

"Pharrell knows what he's doing," Dynamite said.

N.E.R.D opened the concert at 9 p.m.. They played for an hour and encouraged the crowd to get involved. About 50 people were called on stage to dance throughout the performance. The biggest group at one time was about 25 females who were chosen to go on stage to dance during their performance of "Everyone Nose."

After their performance, Pharrell chose a select few of the dancers to go backstage with him and the rest of the band.

After a 30 minute intermission, and a coincidental change of members in the audience, Natasha Bedingfield began her set.

The tour began in Los Angeles on April 9 at the Hollywood Palladium with Leona Lewis and Gavin Rossdale. Following the San Francisco performance, the tour heads to Boston with Kelly Clarkson and Lady Gaga on May 4, Katy Perry and Common on May 14 at the Fillmore Miami Beach and finally LL Cool J and Estelle in New York City at Terminal 5 on May 28.

This is the second year the tour has run, but the first time in San Francisco.
"We wanted to mix it up and give San Francisco people a taste of the Grammy experience," said the Recording Academy representative.

Those who attended the event who owned a Sidekick received a free VIP upgrade and were eligible to win a new Sidekick. A ring-toss game provided those in attendance without a Sidekick a chance to upgrade as well.

"Obviously this event is corporate," said Richardson. "But the music is free and really that is all that matters."