Theoretically, the Grammys are
a large scale melting pot of some of the great artists both past and present. The
2013 Grammy Awards had their moments, equally good and bizarre. Whether it was
the over-the-top pop spectaculars (Taylor Swift), the overly inspired fashion
(Jennifer Lopez and her shower curtain), or the amazing collaborations (Elton
John and Ed Sheeran), the Staples Center
in Los Angeles saw more flash than the Lakers dancers could muster in a single
season.
Taylor Swift led off the ceremony with the evening’s most
ill-guided ridiculousness by dancing with some very large white rabbits that
joined her on stage for her recent single “Never Ever Getting Back Together.” The
night settled down after that, with many acts erring on simpler performances. CBS’s
mixing board was noticeably off on multiple occasions, shorting the guitar sounds
on The Black Keys performing “Lonely Boy” with Dr. John and the Preservation
Hall Jazz Band, and Mumford & Son’s “I Will Wait.” CBS also had a mishap towards the end of the show when they brought
down the curtain too early on the evening’s host, LL Cool J.
Kelly Clarkson provided
two of the evening’s most enjoyable moments, both with a genuinely excited
speech and a capable performance of Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like)
A Natural Woman.”
The annual cycle of duets provided some interesting talking points,
whether it was for cross-genre mashups or aptly-paired collaborations. Elton John
and Ed Sheeran led off the collaborations by coupling for a very good performance
of Sheeran’s track “The A Team” that seemed to fit both artists well. Bruno
Mars and Sting provided one of the Grammys’ most intriguing moments by guiding
Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven” into a Bob Marley tribute with Rihanna, Ziggy
Marley and Damien Marley.
The crowning moments of the Grammys came towards the end of the
ceremony. Elton John, the Zac Brown Brown Band, Brittany Howard, T-Bone Burnett,
Mumford & Sons, and Mavis Staples (who was in The Band’s concert film The Waltz) paid tribute to Levon Helm by
singing “The Weight.”
As far as the awards, .fun disappointed by winning. Auto-tone
triumphs yet again.
