The 55th annual Grammy Awards spectacle went on without a hitch. Sadly, perfectly-executed live award shows never make for the most entertaining TV. Last night’s three-and-a-half hour broadcast was no exception.
The star-studded evening relied heavily on random appearances of celebrities who have nothing to do with the music industry. TV personalities such as Neil Patrick Harris, Jonny Depp and Ellen Degeneres were peppered in-between the long list of performances that jammed the broadcast so full that the musical guests in the early evening could easily be forgotten by the end of the night. Does anyone remember that Alicia Keys performed? Nope.
This show reeked of obligatory, forced tributes, undoubtedly to form an emotional connection to otherwise unmoved home viewers. Dick Clark, Bob Marley and even the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy all got shout-outs in either the form of musical performances or speeches. Still, nothing could have compared to the sudden shock of Whitney Houston’s death on the night before last year’s Grammys.
Mumford and sons and Black Keys were among the more exciting performances . Their songs gave the Energetic and upbeat break that was needed among the majority of the evening’s performances, which were somber and almost depressing.
Of course, none of the evening’s musical performances could compete with the Bob Marley tribute performance that included Bruno Mars, Sting, Rihanna and Ziggy/Damien Marley. During the medley, on-looking stars in the crowd, such as Wiz Khalifa, Taylor Swift, Jay Z and Adele watched in amazement, appearing as if it were the coolest thing they’d ever witnessed.
Country music and folk jam bands owned the evening, excluding music lovers who don’t follow the genre.
The rest of the show was composed of irksome moments, such as Justin Timberlake’s performance of his new song that no one likes, LL Cool J’s attempts to turn the night into an emotional retrospective of his life and “accomplishments,” and the totally predictable list of winners. No surprise victories here.
Unquestionably, the greatest shame of Grammys 2013 was the tragic fact that Carly Rae Jepsen failed to snag any wins, which would have been triumphant, gratifying and absolutely hilarious. Next year, maybe?