Ok, that may be a bit of an overstatement, but I can’t remember a Grammys show in recent memory that held me at such attention. Some random thoughts from the night:
A live mash-up opened the show. Not much of note here, except that Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas dressed uncharacteristically conservatively, while Gwen Stefani did not. And I still can’t get over a riff from “Fiddler on the Roof” going top 40.
I can’t believe Prince beat Usher for a Grammy. Thank goodness the Grammys voted for substance over style, because Prince’s “Musicology” had plenty of substance. Too bad His Purpleness couldn’t make it. Heck, he probably thought he had no shot of winning.
Green Day is peaking. I’m going to have to break down and buy “American Idiot.” They brought the house down.
What the heck was up with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony? I was watching the Grammys, and a Telemundo soap opera broke out!
Ok, so maybe Usher has substance after all. Wow, what a performance! Be careful, Ush. James Brown just named you the Godson of Soul. That is one heavy gig.
“Across the Universe.” Nice collaboration, boring song. Sorry, it had to be said.
You go, Melissa Etheridge.
U2 is great, but their performance of “sometimes You Can’t Make It On You Own” seemed a tad distant.
I still can’t tell whether I like Kanye West or I can’t stand him.
Lance Armstrong is one lucky guy. He beats cancer. He wins cycling championships. And every night, he gets to do the Tour de Sheryl.
I actually like Maroon 5, so I was a bit concerned when they won Best New Artist. We’ll see if they can dodge the jinx.
Loretta Lynn and Jack White. Two musical geniuses being themselves. Best acceptance speech of the night.
Uh oh. Now, we have to hear “Daughters” another 10,000 times.
Ray Charles deserved one more night, and he got it.
Yes, we get it, Mr. Academy President. Music piracy, is bad, m’kay? Shut up!
Many critics saw a boring show, but I get the feeling the music world is getting more and more closely knit. I saw a lot of professional respect last night with very little pretense. That can’t be bad, can it?
