Opening the show with “Drunk In Love” from her self-titled surprise album released last month, Beyoncé stunned the annual Grammy's with her typical flair. The performance, which started off with seductively dancing on a chair, received much-needed resuscitation once Jay-Z joined her on stage. The notoriously private mega-couple caused an eruption in the Staples Center with their collaboration. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis walked away with the first award of the night for Best New Artist. It was a monumental night for them as they also won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “Thrift Shop” and Best Rap Album for “The Heist,” which won over Kanye West’s “Yeezus” and Drake’s “Nothing Was the Same.” The duo’s shining moment came near the end of the night when they performed “Same Love” and shared the spotlight with 33 LGBTQA and straight couples that were married, with Queen Latifah officiating their wedding, during the live telecast. To honor the newlyweds, which consisted of both straight and LGBTQA couples, Madonna made a surprise appearance and sang her '80s hit, “Open Your Heart.”
Daft Punk swept the show, winning every award for which they were nominated: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Dance/Electronica Album. The duo performed with Pharrell Williams and the legendary Stevie Wonder in a mediocre performance that wasn’t quite Grammy-worthy.
Leading in unimpressive performances of the night was Katy Perry with “Dark Horse.” It had her typical theatrics and ended with Perry in a fire, but it left a lot to be desired as the audience members were left wondering what exactly was going on.
While Hunter Hayes had the right idea with his new song, “Invisible,” and its inspirational lyrics, the rookie sang off key and would have been better off lip-synching.
However, the phenomenal performances far outweigh the dull ones. Robin Thicke and Chicago performed a perfect medley, including “Blurred Lines,” that did the impossible by reviving the song that Miley Cyrus managed to destroy at last year’s VMAs.
The most anticipated collaboration of the night was the reunion of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The surviving Beatles graced the Grammy stage and surely brought back memories of Beatlemania as the two held hands and took a much-deserved bow.
A surprising yet brilliant collaboration was that of Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons. In a night of wondrous performances, they raised the already unreachable bar by putting on a magical display. The spectacle was well-received by their peers with Taylor Swift and Robin Thicke dancing throughout the entire performance.
The audience was engulfed with Pink’s acrobatic performance while singing “Try.” Spinning upside down, the merged live singing with Cirque du Soleil in an unforgettable performance. Nate Ruess, lead singer from Fun., joined her on stage to perform their hit, “Just Give Me a Reason,” and received a standing ovation.
Taylor Swift gave a dramatic performance of her song “All Too Well” while playing piano and head banging through the emotional lyrics. The rendition of the song, which is rumored to be about Jake Gyllenhaal, showcased Swift’s talent that is often overshadowed by her love life.
Other big winners were Bruno Mars for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Unorthodox Jukebox” and Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z for “Holy Grail” in Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
The entire list of last night’s winners is available on the Grammys’ website.
Reach the reporter at jurgiles@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @MrsMathers94
