Fashion may have been under close supervision at this year’s Grammy Awards, as per a memo about wardrobe guidelines issued by CBS, but the artists didn’t hold back when it came to performances. That’s what makes the Grammys so great — the pairings of some of the most legendary performers with today’s rising artists makes for memorable moments in music.
Taylor Swift kicked the night off in carnival garb with her hit song “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Her performance may have been cute with the campy setting, but her accent jab at ex-boyfriend Harry Styles was anything but subtle.
Other performance highlights include Fun. with a rain-drenched version of single “Carry On.” The band, which garnered an impressive six nominations for the night, took home trophies for Best New Artist and Song of the Year.
Rihanna took the stage twice, once to perform her slow power ballad “Stay” and again alongside Bruno Mars, Sting, Ziggy and Damian Marley to pay (a severely awesome) tribute to Bob Marley.
Also taking the stage twice was the always dapper Justin Timberlake, who brought Jay-Z on stage for the television debut of “Suit and Tie.” JT continued his performance, complete with a big band and orchestra, with new song “Pusher Love Girl” from his upcoming album “The 20/20 Experience.” His return to the Grammy stage marked a highlight of the night for many.
Top honors went to Gotye and Kimbra’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” for Record of the Year, and Mumford & Sons took home the trophy for Album of the Year. Other winners included The Black Keys for Best Rock Album, Zac Brown Band for Best Country Album, and Adele for Best Pop Solo Performance.
The announcers were just as memorable as the performances themselves. As host LL Cool J put it, “Our introductions to performances can be performances.…” The Lumineers played its hit “Ho Hey” before Jack White took the stage, while Miguel and Wiz Khalifa did a crooning/rapping ditty before introducing the nominees for Best Country Solo Performance.
Johnny Depp, in all of his glory, introduced Mumford, and the hilarious duo of Beyonce and Ellen DeGeneres brought out Timberlake.
Between the surprises and the snubs (ahem: Frank Ocean), this year’s telecast had no shortage of excitement.
Transitioning from music to movie awards, the Oscars are less than two weeks away. Tune in to ABC at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 for the year’s top honors in motion pictures.
