Sunday night marked the 51st edition of the Grammys and in an unusual turn of events, it was the action offstage that got all of the attention—namely the arrest of Grammy-nominee Chris Brown, 19, was arrested on charges of making felony criminal threats related to domestic abuse. Neither he, nor his girlfriend Rihanna, attended the ceremony, adding to rumors that the pop starlet was the victim.
While Brown was the night’s biggest loser, the biggest winner at the 2009 Grammys was an album that was actually released in 2007. More on that later…
The show opened with a new song from U2, “Get On Your Boots,” which was even more boring than expected. The band’s ploy to inspire a sing along by projecting their pompous lyrics on a video screen failed, thank goodness. It was still better than whatever lame pop junk Rihanna would’ve done if she’d been there.
So, why was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson hosting the Grammys? Maybe it was a commentary on the fact that these awards shows are as fake and meaningless as Pro Wrestling…Maybe not.
Coldplay and Jay Z somehow managed to balance each other other during their duet, making each performer seem slightly less annoying, and only slightly more boring, than usual. Thankfully, Beyonce and her metal-gloved alter-ego, Sasha Fierce, did not tag along.
What in the world was that polka-dot bikini thing M.I.A. was wearing? We get it, you’re nine months pregnant and fashionably rebellious. Good job. Now go put a shirt on. This was underground sensation M.I.A.’s big chance to expose her music to a huge audience, and instead she focused on exposing the big audience to her bigger belly. Many people were too distracted to listen to her song, which is a shame.
Why in the world was the legendary Stevie Wonder reduced to playing with the Jonas Brothers (who, by the way, messed up the lyrics to Wonder’s classic, “Superstition.” Embarrassing.).
After a lot of hipster hype, Radiohead showed up and played “15 Step,” with a marching band. Meh. Singer Thom Yorke apparently hasn’t shaved or bathed in quite some time, so maybe that adds to their cred. We doubt it. See it here, if you must.
Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift performed the song “Fifteen” together, but, unless you’re actually 15, you were probably bored and flipping channels.
The most surprising, and encouraging, part of the show was the fact that the night’s big winner wasn’t a flavor-of-the-moment hip-hop star, or a manufactured American Idol popstar, it was the unlikely roots music duo of Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and bluegrass singer/fiddle player Alison Krauss. Sometimes quality does win out over the quantity of albums sold. Amazing. Of course, their acclaimed album, Raising Sand, was actually released in 2007, so we’re not sure why it won anything at the 2009 Grammys…
What was the best/worst/most surprising part of 2009 Grammys?
Leave a comment and tell us what you think!
jason.berger says...
02.10.09 10:17 am
Far be it from me to comment on fashion but how about Jennifer Hudson’s dress? It made me wonder if she had ordered the BBQ ribs and forgot to take off her big white bib before making her acceptance speech or if that was in fact a dress.
I actually thought Radiohead going up there with the marching band was pretty cool but then again, I am a fan of theirs.
Paul McFartney on the other hand is a great music legend but he’s what, 65 now? At some point you have to hang up the rock star persona and start telling some of the greatest “when I was your age…” stories of all time to your bored grand kids who’d rather be playing RockBand on Wii. Dave Grohl on the drums was what saved it and made the performance entertaining.
jason.berger says...
02.10.09 10:21 am
Oh, I almost forgot to mention my favorite part. Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montanna performing together for the first time!