The 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards may have been delayed two months, but it was certainly worth the wait, with a live show from Las Vegas that had a bit of something for everyone.
The night’s big winner was Silk Sonic, with Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak going four for four, taking home trophies for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Leave The Door Open,” which also won Best R&B Performance (a tie with Jazmine Sullivan’s “Pick Up Your Feelings”) and Best R&B song.
Olivia Rodrigo also had a pretty great night, taking home three trophies, including the coveted Best New Artist honor, as well as Best Pop Solo Performance for “Driver’s License,” and Best Pop Vocal Album for “Sour”
As for the coveted Album of the Year honor, that went to Jon Batiste’s “We Are.” (Click here for a winner's list.)
- This year’s GRAMMYs were once again hosted by Trevor Noah, who kicked things of on the roof of the MGM Grand. His opening included jokes about vaccines, Olivia Rodrigo getting carded, and more, including one crack about the Will Smith slap, with Trevor noting, “we’re gonna be keeping people’s names out of our mouths.”
- In the most poignant moment of the evening, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky appeared via pre-taped video. “On our land, we are fighting Russia which brings horrible silence with its bombs,” he said. “Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today. Tell our story. Tell the truth about the war on your social networks and TV. But not silence.”
- Of course, as we come to expect from the GRAMMYs, the night was filled with TONS of great performances, and memorable moments. They included:
- Silk Sonic opened the show with a rockin’ rendition of “777,” which was quite appropriate for a show in Las Vegas.
- Olivia Rodrigo sat in a vintage car to begin her performance of her hit “Driver’s License.” She eventually got out with the performance switching to a suburban street set.
- J. Balvin and Maria Becerra performed “Qué Más Pues? bathed in mostly red lighting, which was followed by “In Da Getto,” in which J. Balvin was surrounded by what could only be described as a group of very cool choreographed arms dancing around him.
- BTS, dressed in black suits, channeled James Bond for their performance of “Butter,” with Junkook dropping in from the ceiling and the other members sitting in the audience, with V getting his flirt on with Rodrigo. As they are known to do, they showed off their cool dance moves and were even joined by a group of similar suited dancers.
- Lil Nas X performed a medley of tunes including "Dead Right Now,” “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” and “Industry Baby” with Jack Harlow, with the performance including a drum line, a big bust of Lil Nas' head, steppers and more.
- Billie Eilish performed her song ‘Happier Than Ever” while standing in an upside-down house with water at her feet. She then joined her brother Finneas on the roof and got rained on (although she remained dry). Her performance included a tribute to the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, with Billie wearing a shirt with his image on it.
- Brandi Carlile, who was introduced by legendary performers Bonnie Raitt and Joni Mitchell, gave a stunning performance of “Right On Time,” with the lights bathing the stage in the colors of the rainbow flag.
- Nas, backed by a live band and a horn section, performed a medley that included “One Mic,” “I Can,” “Rare,” and “Made You Look.”
- Chris Stapleton, who was introduced by his assistant tour manager, performed a soulful version of his GRAMMY-winning song “Cold,” which earned him a standing ovation.
- After Zelensky's speech, he introduced John Legend’s performance of “Free,” which was dedicated to Ukraine, and featured Ukrainian singer Mika Newton and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
- Introduced by Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, backed by a full orchestra, performed “Love For Sale,” and an emotional “Do I Love You,” with video of her and Tony playing on the screen behind her.
- The “In Memoriam” tribute started with Noah acknowledging the loss off Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, noting that it was at that point in the evening the band was supposed to be playing. He then sent out condolences to the band and Taylor’s family, and they played a video tribute to Taylor, which was backed by the band’s hit “My Hero.”
- The “In Memoriam” also featured a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, with performances from Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt, Rachel Zegler, including songs “Not A Day Goes By,” “Send In The Clowns,” and “Somewhere.”
- Jon Batiste showed he’s more than just Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” bandleader with his jubilant performance of “Freedom,” which had him singing and dancing on tables in the audience.
- Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar and Giveon performed their megahit “Peaches,” with Justin starting it slow at the piano, before being joined by his collaborators (although some of the performance was censored).
- H.E.R. took the stage for a star-studded performance featuring Travis Barker, Lenny Kravitz, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Songs in her performance included “Damage,” and Lenny’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way.”
- Carrie Underwood performed her new single “Ghost Story” for the first time anywhere.
- GRAMMY winners Brothers Osborne brought down the house with the final performance of the night, of their song “Dead Man’s Curve.”