Another year and yet another successful Grammy Awards show. This year’s show was upbeat, full of surprises and most certainly entertaining. From unfortunate one liners given by award presenters to remarkable performances from some of the music industry’s best, the 57th annual Grammy Awards made quite the show. The Grammy Awards began in 1959 and was created in order to honor the musical accomplishments of various artists from each previous year. The gramophone is the award given to the most prominent names in the music industry including Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Beyonce, Ray Charles, The Beatles and so many more. There were lots of great moments from this year’s Grammy Awards show and here are list of the top:
AC/DC opened the show
AC/DC seemed younger than ever when they opened the Grammys this year with the title track of their new album, Rock or Bust. They came out with power and fury with the lead guitarist, Angus Young, running around in his trademark schoolboy uniform while singer, Brain Johnson, sported his Andy Capp hat. Despite missing two of their original band members, Malcolm Young and Phil Rudd, due to illness and legal issues, the performance was rock solid and they did not miss a single beat. It certainly got Coachella goers excited to see them headline this year! But what made the performance a top moment was when the band was performing “Highway to Hell,” they shifted out towards the audience and the stage erupted with fire behind them. The crowd was really into the performance and AC/DC looked natural and more than happy to be performing, kicking this year’s Grammys off to a fantastic start.
Tom Jones and Jessie J Lost That Lovin’ Feelin
Jessie J and Tom Jones gave Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett a run for their money with their performance of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin” by The Righteous Brothers. Both artists poured their hearts into the performance, enchanting the crowd and making the two singers possibly the best old-timer, new kid on the block singing relationship of the night. With Jessie J’s spunk and Tom Jones’ jazz, the duo added yet another remarkable moment to the show.
Madonna
I am not sure there is a better looking 56 year old woman out there, or at least not one that could pull off a Grammys performance quite like Madonna did. The queen certainly performs at her best when she is completing her own vision. Performing her single, “Living for Love,” Madonna entangled herself with her masked, muscled minotaur dancers and allowing them to keep her lifted and toss her around for nearly the entire five minute performance. Then, to add a cherry on top to the performance, at the end she brought out a red-robed gospel choir before she was suspended up into the air, completing the over the top, perfect performance.
Stevie Wonder Steals the Show
Now do not get me wrong, Usher and his angel like voice were absolutely remarkable as he performed “If It’s Magic” along with his harpist under the minimal light. He completely took the crowd along with him, until Stevie Wonder joined him on stage with his harmonica. Stevie stole the show from Usher playing about four bars of the harmonica. Maybe Stevie thought Usher needed to add a little something extra to his own song, but either way, the duo blew the crowd away and created a great moment during the show.
FourFiveSeconds
After a few country performances from Eric Church, Brandy Clark and Dwight Yoakam, the much anticipated performance of “FourFiveSeconds” added another amazing moment to the 2015 Grammy Awards. Paul McCartney, Kanye West and Rihanna entered the small and plain stage and each member of the powerhouse trio sported a black tailored suit. The Beatles member strummed along on the guitar while Rihanna and Kanye sang their verses. This was the trio’s debut performance and it was nothing less than spectacular. They had everyone in the crowd standing, clapping and singing along and ended the performance with a standing ovation. Then just to add to the moment, the three ended with a group hug, making Staples Center erupt with noise.
Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige Take the Stage
Chills went up the spines of those who watched Mary J. Blige and Sam Smith’s heart wrenching performance of “Stay With Me.” A year ago, both singers had nothing in common other than their appearances on tracks by Disclosure, and now they are bringing tears to the audience’s faces at the 2015 Grammys. The anticipated performance really showcased Blige and Smith's talent and showed them in a whole new element. About an hour after the performance, “Stay With Me” won “Record of the Year” to wrap up a very special night.
The Masked Sia
Even though we could not see her face, we sure know Sia has quite the voice and a rather creative mind. The singer kept her image invisible with her back to the audience to allow the music to speak for itself while the audience watched Maddie Ziegler, the 12-year-old dancer who appeared in the song's video, and Kristin Wiig dance to her nominated song "Chandelier." Despite her normal funny attitude, Wiig stayed in character by mimicking Ziegler’s raw emotion of fighting to release her love demons. The performance did a great job echoing the music video and Sia proved her singing skills on stage even without showing her face.
Queen B
Bow down because once again, Beyonce has proven her worth with yet another remarkable performance at the Grammys this year. Despite her losing “Album of the Year” to Beck, Beyonce still went home at the end of the night with three awards. Without missing a single note, Beyonce sang “Take My Hand Precious Lord” (MLK’s favorite song) flawlessly along an inspiring all-male choir. She held her own the entire performance and finished with her breathtaking smile. But let’s be real, she will always be a top moment of every awards show … she is Beyonce.
Prince
He honestly probably deserves a Grammy just for his outfit and the way he is able to make the crowd go nuts every time he takes the stage. Or maybe he deserves it for the way he presented “Album of the Year.” While standing on stage in a creamy-orange frock and a sly grin of his face, he started out jokingly saying “Albums, remember those?” Then he turned up the volume just a little adding, “Like books and black lives, albums still matter.” The crowd responded by erupting with noise in approval. So lucky for our parents, Prince has still got it.
Kanye’s Almost “Fake” Diss to Beck
So I think it is safe to say that Kanye has grown up since 2009, when he allowed a stunned Beck to finish his acceptance speech after beating Beyonce out for “Album of the Year.” Kanye hurried to the stage but turned around, nearly repeating his VMA stunt with Taylor Swift. So apparently Kim Kardashian has tamed young Kanye because instead, he waited until after the show to tell Rolling Stone, “Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyonce and at this point, we tired of it.” The moment lightened the mood and added some extra laughs to the night, since the presenters had a hard time doing so themselves. Beck later responded to Kanye’s comment, telling US Weekly, “I was just so excited he was coming up, [West] deserves to be onstage as much as anybody. How many great records has he put out in the last five years, right?” The moment was made even better by watching Beyonce’s face as Kanye started towards the stage, you can see her saying “Don’t do it, don’t do it,” with a smile on her face and laughter to follow.
Sam Smith’s Sweet Revenge
Well, what a night Sam Smith had; it was most definitely his year at this year’s Grammy Awards. Smith went home at the end of the night with four Grammys in hand. During his acceptance of “Record of the Year,” Smith got his revenge and wrapped up the end of the show, “Just a quick one, I want to thank the man who this record is about, who I fell in love with last year,” he said. “Thank you so much for breaking my heart, because you got me four Grammys.” No Sam Smith's lover, we thank you for giving us Sam Smith.