(Photo ©2010 by Bryan Reesman.)
I’ll keep my thoughts short and simple this year, partially because I was not so inspired by a lot of the performances (more rock, people, more rock!) and partially because you’ve probably become numb from the sheer volume of post-Grammy wrap-ups flooding the Web. So now, in no particular order…
Lady Gaga = You didn’t hatch from an egg as some thought, but you laid one.
Arcade Fire = You only need half as many members to achieve your sound; it’s like watching the White Stripes with two drummers. But I liked the unofficial closing number better.
Opening Aretha Franklin tribute = Not my genre, but an R-E-S-P-E-C-T-ful tribute.
Muse = Awesome, but they probably didn’t need the American Idiot-style presentation.
Mumford & Sons = Not what I’m usually into, but kind of cool actually.
Rihanna + dancing = Blatant lip synching.
Cee Lo Green = Puppets are cool, but not Gwyneth. Too bad you couldn’t have let the F-bomb slip to get a good bleep or two.
Usher + Bieber = A manufactured “touching” moment. Jaden Smith added nothing to your appearance. I’m convinced that Bieber is a robot.
Bruno Mars = Not my thing, but classy and energetic.
Mick Jagger = More energy than most performers half his age.
Bob Dylan + Mumford & Sons + Avett Brothers = Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Dylan. Bet you didn’t think they’d make you perform! (“Hey, who left this bass lying onstage? Someone could trip over this thing!”)
Katy Perry = Thanks for bringing Grandma and Russell Brand along. You should have brought them onstage. Stop with the wedding videos.
John Mayer + Norah Jones + Keith Urban = Nice to see and hear acoustic guitar playing that required skill rather than just strumming. But John, stop cribbing your look from Johnny Depp.
Miranda Lambert = The blond country starlet this year.
Barbra Streisand = Singing music from a bygone era. She’s never been my thing, but she brought elegance and balance to the show, and the audience showed her respect.
Eminem + Dr. Dre = Funny how rappers (i.e. non-musicians) still draw so much attention at music awards shows. Eminem still needs a sense of humor.
“In Memoriam” montage = Afraid to play a little Dio? Even when metal icons die, they still don’t command mainstream respect.
Nicki Minaj = Grace Jones knows how to make wackiness interesting, not just a put-on.
Seth Rogen = Not so funny, dude.
Lady Antebellum = A sincere and heartfelt song. I might buy that single.
Iron Maiden = Will they ever show the Metal and Hard Rock winners live on the Grammys again? What does the Recording Academy fear?
E! + Ryan Seacrest = Stop giving Gaga and others so much credit for their “originality”. Stop assuming we’re idiots.
Didn’t watch the whole thing but I saw Rihanna’s performance and it’s clearly not lip synced lol.
She performed twice, and the time she danced she was lip synching. People can’t really sing that clearly and bounce around like that. 😉
You are funnier than Seth Rogan ;-).
BTW, I doubt he wrote that joke, but figured if Ricky Gervaise could do it, so could he (and apparently got away with it, no news on it at all!)