The most shocking news to hit this year’s Grammy Awards was the death of music legend Whitney Houston. In the opening, LL Cool J started off on a serious note to pay his respects to the renowned performer. LL Cool J then took it upon himself to find the positivity within this serious tragedy and reminded everyone that the annual celebration of music would not disappoint. He then turned the stage over to Bruno Mars, who gave his usual flawless and sprightly performance.
The first award for best solo pop performance went to none other than Adele. Moments later Chris Brown took the stage and hyped up the crowd with “Turn Up the Music” and “Beautiful People.” Brown started off with his own live voice, but that quickly changed. With the amount of movement in his performance, I am not sure anyone could blame him for his usual lip-syncing techniques. Later on in the show, Rihanna took the stage performing her smash hit “We found Love” and then joined in a duet with Coldplay singing their single “Princess of China.” Coldplay then took the stage themselves and sang “Paradise,” with sheer power.
One of the most anticipated performers of the night was rock legend Paul McCartney, singing a love song off of his new album. McCartney’s performance was quietly potent and reminded everyone that despite his age, McCartney still lives up to his hype. Shortly after, Chris Brown picked up the award for best R&B album. This was his first Grammy, and it appears that despite all of his past controversies, Brown still has a solid fan base.
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“Rolling in the Deep” received the Grammy for Song of the Year, and Adele continued to remain humble despite her incredibly successful night. The anticipation for her performance continued to grow deeper and deeper. Finally the moment all Grammy watchers were waiting for: Adele took the stage for the first time after her throat surgery. All speculations about whether or not she would sound good went out the window the second she began to sing. Adele only reaffirmed almost everyone’s existing belief that she has one of the best voices in the world. Her live performance of “Rolling in the Deep” was astounding in every way, and definitely one of the most memorable Grammy moments of the night.
As the awards ceremony continued, the performances were solid and the winners well-deserved. Best New Artist was awarded to Bon Iver, which might have come as a surprise. All of the nominees have topped the billboard charts this year, while Bon Iver’s music is more appreciated by the Indie crowd.
Nicki Minaj certainly gave the strangest performance of the night. As usual, the crowd probably either hated or loved the performance. Moments later Adele swept up the award for Record of the Year for “Rolling in the Deep”, which was no surprise to the crowd. Album of the Year was the next award, which went to none other than, you guessed it: Adele.
There was no better way to close the show than with Paul McCartney singing “Golden Slumbers.” This year’s performances were top notch, and there was no real surprises when it came down to who went home with the trophies. The biggest success of the night was Adele who swept all six of the awards she was nominated for. Paul McCartney ended with the last verse of the Beatles song “The End,” “and in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.” This was the best way to end this night, because we all felt the love that everyone in the building felt for music.
Photo Sources:
http://bigthink.com/ideas/42432
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/02/grammys-2012-paul-mccart…
http://www.billboard.com/photogalleries/grammys-2012-photos-from-the-sho…