Grammys triumph, tradegy

There are always going to be ups and downs when it comes to the Grammys — especially when it comes to the performances. But this year there was one particular up and one particular down that loomed over the entire show.

The down being the death of diva Whitney Houston the night before. As host LL Cool J opened the show with a prayer, he reminded the audience that “this night is about the music,” and that despite the devastating event that occurred so close to home, the show will go on. With shout outs from Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Rhianna, among others, and an emotional performance of “I Will Always Love You,” by powerhouse singer Jennifer Hudson, Whitney’s memory was not forgotten throughout the entire night.

On the up side was the force that is Adele. Her accomplishments throughout the night included taking home six awards (tying with Beyonce for the most wins in one night by a female artist); joining the ranks of such performers as Paul Simon, Eric Clapton and the Dixie Chicks in having won the three biggest awards in one night (Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year, respectively); and performing the hit that started it all, “Rolling in the Deep,” after having recently recovered from throat surgery. She put on the most powerful and real performance of the night, that garnered her a lasting — and well-deserved — standing ovation. The girl’s got pipes — and a presence — that can’t be ignored, and the Grammys made sure of that.

Aside from the above — in terms of the actual awards given out — the Foo Fighters added another Best Rock Album Grammy to their trophy case, accomplishing the feat of winning seven Best Rock Albums for each of their seven albums. During the night, the band also took home four others including Best Rock Song for “Walk.”

Also, no-show Kanye West garnered four awards, and Bon Iver took home two including the coveted Best New Artist Grammy.

But we all know the Grammys aren’t all about the awards — only nine were actually given out on air. The Grammys are all about the three-and-a-half hours of performances, which this year made for a somewhat sluggish show. Only a select few really held my attention. Here’s who and why.

Katy Perry — Starting off with Kanye-collaborated hit “E.T.”, Perry emerged in full force. Quickly switching gears, she poured her heart out on stage in what sounded like a big F-you to ex-husband Russell Brand with “Part of Me.”

It was a very strong performance — filled with a lot of angst — but one that showed true emotion. Bravo to Katy for putting away the girly, Candyland-like set pieces and bringing out a warrior-like performance that showed us just exactly how she was feeling.

The Band Perry, Blake Shelton and Glen Campbell — The legendary Campbell — soon to be retired due to Alzheimer’s — joined The Band Perry and Shelton in a fitting tribute to himself, with performances of “Gentle on My Mind,” “Southern Nights” and, of course, “Rhinestone Cowboy.” It was all very touching, and all three acts sounded simply superb.

Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt — The soul songstress and country superstar payed tribute to the late great Etta James with a stripped-down rendition of “I Want A Sunday Kind of Love.” Keys and Raitt kept it short and sweet, but it had quite a beautiful, lasting impression.

The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift — The folk duo The Civil Wars have had a pretty good year. Their debut album “Baton Harlow” made it onto many a year-end lists, and at the Grammys they managed to take home a few wins as well, including the award for Best Country Duo and Best Folk Album. Thankfully, they were able to show off the skills that helped them win all the recent praise with a short performance as the “opener” to Swift. It may have only been for a minute, but it deserved so much more.

Swift followed suit with a performance of “Mean” — in which she rocked the banjo and seemed to be having the most fun of any of the performers on stage. It wasn’t elaborately choreographed, or filled with intense light shows, but it was — despite her tendencies to cross over
the pop line — a fun, country performance.

The Beach Boys with Maroon 5 and Foster the People — Adam Levine and Mark Foster’s voices were made for Beach Boys’ songs. Performing with their respective groups — Maroon 5 and newbies Foster the People — Levine sang a sweet “Little Surfer Girl,” while Foster tackled “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” Both groups seemed to be having fun with it, and after joined the legendary group on stage for a performance of “Good Vibrations.”

Despite the fatigue-sounding vocals of the Beach Boys, the group — reuniting for a 50th anniversary performance — had the audience dancing and singing along just fine. I was hoping for a bit more — as I’ve seen them live and they are truly a lot of fun — but I give them credit for managing to get Brian Wilson and Mike Love on the same stage one last time.

Paul McCartney — He performed an acoustic “My Valentine” during the middle of the show off his newest “Kisses on the Bottom” album, which was simple and sweet. But McCartney came back with a vengeance as the closing act, along with Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray and the Eagles’ Joe Walsh for a guitar-filled rendition of the Beatles’ “Golden Slumbers/Carry Your Weight.” It was fun to see so many talented rock musicians all on the same stage, and it was a great way to close out a somewhat-dull show overall.