A diverse group of A-list all-star performers took the stage and rocked the music world. (Photos property of The Recording Academy)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
No, it is not Christmas! It’s the Grammys!
Tonight, the greatest artists in the world arrived in the Staples Center to entertain their fellow artists and the millions of viewers watching from all around the world.
Read on to find out who won their respective awards and which performers brought the house down with their performances!
For the first time ever, Australian rock band AC/DC opened the Grammys! Host LL Cool J also mentioned that it was the group’s first time performing at the event. Brian Johnson’s robust vocals on “Rock or Bust” brought the crowd to life and the Young rockers’ guitar arrangements gave me chills. The group was not done yet as they performed a rousing version of their signature tune: “Highway to Hell” that had every audience member singing! What a way to kick off the show! A-
As AC/DC left the stage, LL Cool J previewed the night and introduced the first presenter of the night…Taylor Swift! The “Shake It Off” songstress had the hour of presenting the Best New Artist award. She also advised her friends who were nominated in the category who lost to just shake it off! However, the usually sad Sam Smith did not shake off a smile from his face (and received a standing ovation) when he won the award!
Anna Kendrick introduced Ariana Grande for the second performance of the night. She debuted the Harry Styles-penned “Just A Little Bit of Your Heart” from her highly successful sophomore album: My Everything. I loved seeing this side of “The Way” singer. Her superb vocals hypnotized the audience and hearing a bit of her lower vocal register was pure perfection. A-
Voice UK coaches Jessie J and Sir Tom Jones paid tribute to the Grammy Trustees award recipients Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil with a cover of “You Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” Seeing those two perform together was pure nirvana and it was one of the highlights of the first half. B+ After the duo finished, they presented the Best Pop Solo Performance award to another Voice coach: Pharrell Williams for his live version of “Happy.”
Miranda Lambert’s fusion of rock and country was front and center in her performance of “Little Red Wagon.” While there was a lot of instrument solos, I wished that Miranda sang more! B- Pentatonix joined Lifetime Achievement Award winner Barry Gibb on stage to pay homage to the Bee Gees. Barry paid tribute to his brothers and awarded Sam Smith with his second Grammy of the night: Best Pop Vocal Album.
As Kanye left the stage, Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj introduced their mutual collaborator, Madonna, who performed her latest single: “Living For Love.” Dressed as a matador, the Queen of Pop showcased a hybrid of flamenco dancing and EDM as her dancers wore bull masks. While her vocals were touched by auto-tune, she gave a fantastic performance. B
Music legends Smokey Robinson and Nile Rodgers paid homage to the late George Harrison as they awarded him a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, they gave the Best R&B Performance Award to Beyoncé for her song: “Drunk in Love.”
New Late Late Show host James Corden introduced Ed Sheeran and his all-star group of collaborators: Questlove, John Mayer and the legendary Herbie Hancock! The ensemble performed jazzy take on Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” It was nice to hear John Mayer team up with the world’s favorite ginger, but Herbie’s unnecessary piano jazz did not belong with this number. C+
Ryan Seacrest introduced The Voice’s Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani, who teamed up on their duet—“My Heart Is Open.” While it was ironic to see Seacrest introduce them (couldn’t they have Blake or Pharrell introduce them?), their harmonies were awesome and both of them shined individually. B
Breakthrough artist Hozier began to take everyone to church with his signature song: “Take Me to Church.” While it was boring for the first half, Annie Lennox rescued the performance by adding her passion into the Top 40 standby. B- Then, the “Sweet Dreams” singer really gave me goose bumps with her cover of “I Put A Spell On You!” From her scatting to her commanding stage presence, the music icon captivated the room and delivered one of the best performances of the night! A+
As Annie and Hozier left the stage, Nick Jonas and Meghan Trainor gave Best Country Album to Miranda Lambert for Platinum. Meanwhile, Pharrell gave an uncanny performance of “Happy” with the help of Hans Zimmer and Lang Lang that combined Broadway with Bollywood. It was a risky performance, but everyone was up on their feet! A-
It was a little odd that Grammys had a public service announcement about domestic violence!! While it was nice to see President Obama, they should have left out the domestic violence survivor’s speech and went straight into Katy Perry. I first saw the Super Bowl headliner perform “By The Grace of God” at her concert in Kansas City, it was a powerful moment on the Prism Tour. As much as I loved Katy, her vocals lacked and it bored me to tears. D
One of my personal favorite highlights was hearing Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga perform “Cheek to Cheek!” Mr. Bennett sounded divine, while Lady Gaga looked elegant in her black ball grown. Their explosive vocals and chemistry recaptured the interest of the audience and saved the night! A+
After LL Cool J plugged the Grammy’s celebration for Stevie Wonder, Usher delivered a fine cover of the 25-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter! Usher brilliantly re-interpreted the song and it was nice to see Stevie Wonder perform the harmonica for the final bars of the song! A+
In all honesty, both performances from Eric Church and Brandy Clark bored me! I wished that they had Sia perform or had Meghan Trainor perform “All About That Bass.” Thank goodness, Rihanna, Kanye and Sir Paul took the stage and perform their outstanding collaboration: “FourFive Seconds.” The performance definitely woke up the audience Rihanna’s vocals were the strongest I have seen since her 2013 American Music Awards performance and they definitely put a smile on my face! A
Taylor Swift returned to the stage to introduce her friend, Sam Smith, and his collaborator: nine-time Grammy winner Mary J. Blige. Accompanied by a mini orchestra and a choir, the duo took everyone to music euphoria with their powerful vocal ranges. This gave me chills and I truly think this was the performance of the night! A++
Prince got the loudest reception of the night when he presented the award for Album of the Year! It was definitely a surprise to see Beck take the award over Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Pharrell and Sam Smith.
Shia LaBeouf introduced Sia, who transported us into her living room for a performance of her hit: “Chandelier.” However, instead of the elusive singer-songwriter being in the room it was SNL alum Kristen Wiig and 12-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler. This was a very interesting concept and I think the duos had great chemistry together, but I missed seeing Sia perform! B+
As the duo left the stage, Enrique Iglesias introduced the Song of the Year award. This was one of the night’s toughest categories of the night because of multiple A-list artists that were nominated! However, the award went to Sam Smith for “Stay With Me.”
Stevie Wonder and Jamie Foxx gave out the final award of the night: Record of the Year! The final award of the night belonged to Sam Smith, who picked up his fourth Grammy of the night for “Stay With Me!”
