Maybe it was the stodginess of the Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) that kept the Grammys from being great in recent years because tonight’s inaugural ceremony at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was a marked improvement with stellar performances and some genuinely exciting wins throughout the night.
First, let’s start with the host, Trevor Noah, who I’m guessing we can expect to emcee this event for the next 17 years. Out of all the major awards shows, the Grammys are probably the least host-friendly, as displayed by the rapid speed at which the comedian was forced to read off a teleprompter and the limited amount of work he was allowed to do outside of announcing the night’s presenters and performers. Noah brought the level of funny he brings every night to The Daily Show, which meant a lot of obvious, familiar jokes you read on Twitter four months ago and a few that made you giggle out loud. Regardless of the quality of his humor, there was enough audible laughter that none of his hosting was awkward. You also can’t deny that the man has a naturally camera-ready face and charisma that suits this type of gig.
Of course, like we all feared, Noah gave a brief, obligatory shout-out to The Slap, promising viewers that they were “gonna be keeping people’s names out of our mouths” throughout the show. Likewise, he looked very self-satisfied uttering these words. But considering he has an entire beef with a rapper nominated for Album of the Year that affected the events of the night, it was kind of funny watching him speak from his non-confrontational high horse.
Once again, this year’s ceremony clocked in at a little over three hours and thirty minutes but managed to be more watchable than years past thanks to some show-stopping performances—which included stunning, high-quality production—by the night’s biggest stars, including Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, and BTS. Before they took the stage, Silk Sonic kicked off the show with their signature ’70s R&B pastiche on full display, performing “777.” It takes having a built-in trust and connection with your audience, something both Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have earned during their time in the spotlight, to open this type of event with an album deep cut. But they pulled it off, earning the first of many standing ovations throughout the night.
Speaking of receiving standing Os, Eilish, fresh off her Oscar win, performed her ballad “Happier Than Ever” alongside her brother Finneas as a tribute to recently deceased Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, whose photo she wore on a T-shirt. Rodrigo provided another cathartic moment in the night with a pitch-perfect rendition of “drivers license,” which won Best Pop Vocal Performance. Everyone’s favorite internet comedian/marketing aficionado Lil Nas X appeared much looser and more confident in his dancing skills and overall stage presence than we’ve seen him previously, singing a medley of songs from his nominated album, including “Industry Baby” with Jack Harlow. While the performance referenced the backlash he received for the “Call Me by Your Name” video by conservatives online, with an assortment of angry tweets and news reports projected onto a giant screen, it was noticeably less self-referential and stunt-driven than usual. Regardless, the result was pretty satisfying.
The best performance of the night unequivocally goes to K-pop juggernauts BTS, who sang their nominated earworm “Butter” early on in the ceremony. There’s something so exhilarating about how deeply unserious these men are, dropping in from the ceiling and jumping through lasers like they’re in a James Bond movie, while summoning agility of Hollywood stuntmen and performing immaculate dance moves.
Oppositely, Justin Bieber, who left the ceremony empty-handed, performed an unintentionally hilarious, painfully slow rendition of his song “Peaches” before Daniel Caesar and Giveon joined him onstage. As my colleague Kevin Fallon opined on Twitter, the whole thing was reminiscent of a church choir soloist trying to perform the most evocative version of “Amazing Grace.” Unfortunately, the lyrics, “I took my chick up to the North, yeah (badass bitch)” should never be uttered with such seriousness and at such a slow place.
Performances by J. Balvin, H.E.R., Brandi Carlile, and Carrie Underwood were mostly fine but certainly less memorable than the chart-toppers who took the stage. John Legend’s tribute to Ukraine drew eye-rolls from viewers who criticized the Recording Academy’s selectiveness when speaking out about international affairs, and was preceded by a surprise intro from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Similarly, Lady Gaga’s rendition of her nominated jazz duet with Tony Bennett, “Love For Sale,” was skewered online. The slideshow of her and Bennett in the background also made it look like the man was dead and not just watching the broadcast from his home, probably. In addition, the Grammys did a weird thing where they had certain artists’ tour managers present their performances to shine a light on all the difficulties they face, especially during a pandemic. But having them appear in that minor role didn’t really do much to subvert the dynamic between them and the stars they work for.
On top of Eilish’s performance, the Grammys paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins with a video montage opening the in memoriam segment. Rachel Zegler managed to score an invite to the ceremony, sang a Stephen Sondheim medley, along with Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, and Leslie Odom Jr. that, on a technical level, was obviously the best vocal performance of the night.
As I predicted, Record and Song of the Year went to Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open.” Olivia Rodrigo picked up Best Pop Vocal Album and Best New Artist—although the latter award was slightly overshadowed by the presenters, which is a rare occurrence on this usually charisma-lacking telecast. Likewise, past Best New Artist winners Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion showed up in matching black Versace gowns to recreate a hilarious moment between Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey at the 1998 VMAs. Donatella Versace herself even popped up from the audience to join in the bit. Images of Megan and Dua looking good in their latex boots inevitably preoccupied Twitter for the next thirty minutes. But no one could argue that Rodrigo didn’t deserve the freshman award.
Olivia Rodrigo accepts Best Pop Vocal Album for Sour at the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Emma McIntyre/GettyIn other news, Doja Cat and SZA won their first Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Kiss Me More.” And Doja reminded us all that she’s one of the few young musicians with a sense of humor and perceptible personality. Jazmine Sullivan won Best R&B Performance for her spectacular concept album Heaux Tales and gave a great speech dedicated to Black women. Arguably, the most disappointing win of the night was Album of the Year, which went to Jon Batiste’s We Are. Considering how stacked this category was, his win isn’t necessarily a shock. I’m imagining a lot of split votes between the Gen Z artists, particularly Rodrigo and Eilish. Either way, I think if you polled the music-listening population, most people would say they’ve never listened to that album, let alone know that it exists.
In sum, the Las Vegas Grammys was certainly an upgrade from recent years, save for a few issues. The only true bummer of the night seemed to be the announcement ahead of the broadcast that admitted sexual harasser Louis C.K. took home Best Comedy Album. Speaking of famous problematic people, Kanye West, who was banned from performing after a series of troubling threats and comments made to Pete Davidson and Trevor Noah on Instagram, also won awards for the songs “Jail” and “Hurricane” from Donda. Morbius himself was also in the building. Other than that, it was a pretty good night!
