Jack Nicholson didn't show but Johnny Depp did, and Kevin Spacey turned up at the last moment, reading a poem to the accompaniment of a string quartet. That's the way the evening went--full of unexpected surprises and appearances--at the Wadsworth Theater in Los Angeles as a packed house gathered to celebrate and commemorate poet-activist Allen Ginsberg, who died April 5.

The roster of performers on Saturday night was in question right up to the opening curtain and, in spite of some no-shows--notably Beck and Nicholson--enough celebs sauntered onstage to push the evening into early Sunday morning. In fact, the final six acts had to be cut as the clock ticked far past midnight.

But even when the house was crowded, the evening had the feel of an intimate gathering remembering a friend who many of those onstage knew personally. Tom Waits sang a plaintive song after complaining about the shift he's seen Los Angeles lately. "It's getting harder and harder to find a bad cup of coffee there."

Norman Mailer's literary contribution was read by Ed Asner, who had never met the Beat poet himself but felt a kinship to Ginsberg's positions and sentiments. "He was a great man," Asner told E! Online, "and I'm proud to speak in his honor." Author Kurt Vonnegut's statement was read by poet Ed Sanders.

William S. Burroughs, a close friend of Ginsberg's, sent a special recorded message in his inimitable flat-as-the-prairie voice. "I feel as though a light has gone out," wrote the Naked Lunch author, as he recalled hearing of his good friend's death.

Best-selling author Tom Robbins appeared in person to deliver his eulogy. "He came to celebrate paradox and confusion," he said, "and cast a net of enchantment."

Artie Shaw, a musician blacklisted in the 1950s, was warmly received as he recounted Ginsberg stories. "He's not dead," said the jazzman. "Stick around, he'll be back, kibitzing again."

Kevin Spacey teamed with actor Jack Thompson to read Ginsberg's powerful poem "White Shroud" to the accompaniment of a string quartet--a rendition that left the audience quiet and thoughtful.

But there were moments of levity. The funniest, perhaps, when Johnny Depp read a hilarious missive from gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson that lovingly villified Ginsberg. "He welcomed the Grim Reaper," read Depp, "because he knew he could get into his pants."

The appearance of Depp and octogenarian Shaw was clear proof that Ginsberg affected not only different generations of the Hollywood community, but a broad segment of American culture. "[Ginsberg] set our conscience on fire," said psychiatrist Oscar Janiger, organizer of the event. "He gave us permission to be ourselves."

All proceeds of the event went to support a poetry scholarship at the Naropa Institue in Boulder, Colorado, which Ginsberg helped found.