Music’s biggest night of the year took place Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. The Grammys never fail to deliver plenty of surprises and big performances, and this year was no exception.
The 56th annual Grammy Awards highlights included performances by old and new faces in the music industry, as well as a few unexpected collaborations.
Some industry heavyweights were notably missing, including Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. Bieber’s absence was most likely due to his recent arrest in Florida for drag racing and DUI (not to mention that he didn’t receive any nominations). Miley Cyrus, who also did not receive any nominations despite releasing her album “Bangerz” last year, posted a video of herself on the couch playing Guitar Hero to Instagram during the
award show.
The top ten moments of the night:
1. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ performance of “Same Love” – Probably the most unexpected moment of the night was during Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Same Love” performance. Queen Latifa appeared on stage and officiated the marriage of 33 same-sex and heterosexual couples who stood in the aisles of the audience. Madonna sang at the end of the ceremony.
2. Beyonce and Jay-Z “Drunk in Love” – Beyonce opened the night’s show with a performance of the hit “Drunk in Love.” Beyonce began the performance solo, and was later joined by her husband Jay-Z
on stage.
3. Paul McCartney and Ringo Star Duet – Comedian Steve Coogan, who introduced Katy Perry, joked, “The Grammys had a choice between reuniting two of the Beatles or all of the Jonas Brothers. That was a tough one.” Paul McCartney, who was joined by Ringo Star, performed “Queenie Eye.” Ringo Star also sang “Photographs.”
4. Daft Punk and Stevie Wonder sang “Get Lucky” – Daft Punk took home major awards of the night including Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Get Lucky.” The band that never speaks in public, while wearing robot costumes with helmets, was joined on stage by Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams and Nial Rodgers for a
collaborative performance.
5. Katy Perry and Juicy J’s “Dark Horse” – For Katy Perry and Juicy J’s slightly scary and outlandish performance of “Dark Horse,” Perry came out on the stage in a crystal ball. And if that was not enough, Perry ended up dancing on a witch’s broom while Juicy J rapped.
6. Taylor Swift – Taylor Swift delivered a dramatic performance of “All Too Well.” Swift played the piano and banged her famous head of hair around while wearing a shimmering floor-length gown.
7. Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons – Imagine Dragons started off the performance singing “Radioacitve,” and was joined on stage by Kendrick Lamar for a mash-up of “m.A.A.d. City” and “Radioactive.” The camera noticeably cut several times to a dancing Taylor Swift, who was one of the few audience members standing up in the front row during the performance.
8. Lorde – The 17-year-old singer won Song of the Year for “Royals,” which she performed at the show, and also won Best Pop Solo Performance.
9. Carole King and Sarah Bareilles Duet – King and Bareilles joined on stage for an impressive duet of “Beautiful” and “Brave.” They were introduced by another music legend, Cyndi Lauper.
10. Yoko Ono – Throughout the night, including during the collaborative performance of “Get Lucky,” the camera cut to a dancing Yoko Ono. The 80-year-old was deemed “The Grammys’ Real Dancing Queen” by the Huffington Post (taking a stab at Taylor Swift who was often seen dancing in her seat).
