This past Sunday, Feb. 13, the Grammys were aired live. Ads highlighted some of the biggest names in the business slated to perform – Justin Bieber, Lady GaGa, Mick Jagger, Rihanna, Drake and many more.
The show started off very extravagantly. Songstress divas Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Martina McBride and Yolanda Adams saluted the legendary Aretha Franklin in a grandiose performance. The ladies kicked ass with their strong vocals and overall glam. Viewers predicted it would be a very memorable Grammys.
Boy, were we all wrong.
The show seemed to focus more on performances rather than the actual reason for the telecast – the awards themselves. I felt like only five awards were given out while producers tried to squeeze in performance after performance. The show wasn’t all that bad though.
Christina Aguilera gave viewers a good laugh when she fell after finishing her last note in the Aretha Franklin tribute. Lady GaGa came out of a womb and did a great job performing her new single “Born This Way,” although it was not as memorable as her previous award show performances. Justin Bieber and Jayden Smith (son of Will, brother of Willow) got the crowd excited in their performance together. Not to mention, Smith had some fierce cheetah pants on!
The show also surprised many viewers. The “Best New Artist” award did not go to Justin Bieber, but rather to virtually unknown Esperanza Spalding. Also, band Arcade Fire won “Album of the Year” over Lady GaGa’s wildly successful “The Fame Monster” and Eminem’s “Recovery.”
Overall, the Grammy award show provided more of spectacle over actual giving out of awards, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully next year though, they don’t make the viewers yawn as much.