Best and worst moments of the 2024 Grammys

by — February 7, 2024 in Recent news
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The most wins at the 66th annual Grammys went to Phoebe Bridgers, who won three with her band boygenius and one for a feature on a SZA song. SZA, who came into the night with the most nominations, was left out of the top honors: for album (which went to Taylor Swift’s “Midnights”), record (Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers”) and song (“ What Was I” by Billie Eilish). Made For?”, but he took home three trophies. Victoria Monét was named best new artist and Swift’s album broke a Grammy record for the category. The show was particularly joyful, witty and thoughtful, with several surprising performances and some raw acceptance speeches. Ultimately, he captured pop music as it really is: centerless and subject to change at any moment.

Two of the evening’s strongest performances came from young women who used pianos to accompany the subdued, stratospheric upper reaches of their registers and to comment on the tyranny of fragility and beauty. The first was Billie Eilish, who left the crowd silent with a brief and deeply felt reading of “What Was I Made For?”, her “Barbie” ballad that was later chosen song of the year. The second was Olivia Rodrigo, who nailed the dizzying high notes that mark her rock opera hit “Vampire,” and then performed the song’s theme while she smeared herself in fake blood. Each performance, in its own way, felt like a rebuttal to the strict standards to which so many young women are held. Eilish’s was about the pain of being perceived as an object; Rodrigo has reinvented the same kind of pressure as a horror movie. They both understood the power of a little theatrics. LINDSAY ZOLADZ

Joni Mitchell, 80, has been singing her prismatic folk ballad “Both Sides Now” since she was 23, and yet every time she performs it, she seems to be reinterpreting its infinitely wise lyrics. Her performance at the Grammys (her first performance at the awards show, which makes sense given how underrated and underappreciated Mitchell has felt by the industry for most of her career) was both elegiac and lithe, backed by loose jazz. arrangement that allowed him to perform her familiar melody. Showcasing a resonant tone and impressive range that she has worked diligently to strengthen since she suffered an aneurysm in 2015, Mitchell’s performance was like a brief, magical visit from a musical deity. ZOLADZ

Jay-Z (24 wins, 88 nominations) and Beyoncé (32 wins, most of all time) are Grammy mainstays, having occupied the camera spotlight at the awards for more than the last decade, so It was no surprise that the couple appeared as surprise attendees on Sunday night. But as Jay-Z accepted the Dr. Dre award for global impact, the rapper slammed the night’s host, the Recording Academy, for past snubs in the rap categories and for repeatedly snubbing Beyoncé for the award. to album of the year of all genres. “We love you all. We want you to do it right,” he said, in bold and seemingly extemporaneous comments. He addressed the math behind Beyoncé’s total wins, accumulated largely in the R&B and urban contemporary genre categories: “So, even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.” It wasn’t the first time Jay-Z criticized the Grammys, having directed a scathing lyric at the academy after the pair went 0-for-8 at the 2018 event. But his speech pointed to another night in the that a black artist, SZA, earned the most nominations but was shut out in the most important categories. ELENA BERGERON

Last year’s Grammys included a fun tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, with a truly impressive lineup (LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Ice-T and Posdnuos of De La Soul, to GloRilla and Lil Uzi Vert) that was the momentous enough to mark the occasion. Hip-hop this year? He was primarily represented by Travis Scott, who was joined by Playboi Carti for a strangely bloodless performance of “My Eyes,” “I Know,” and “Fein.” The performance climaxed with flames and some banging of folding chairs, a scene that looked like a reject from a “Mad Max” movie. If the guys couldn’t bring it, maybe they should have had Ice Spice? BEN SISARIO

Accepting the award for best R&B song for “Snooze,” SZA ironically almost missed her moment: Absent when Lizzo first read her name, she finally emerged from backstage, breathless. “I was changing, and then I took a picture and ran over here,” he said, beginning an endearing, impromptu speech that showed off his personality more effectively than his busy, over-the-top performance. The moment seemed to hit her like a wave midway and she became visibly nervous. Then, stopping mid-sentence and cutting her speech short, she delivered the best line of the night before storming off the stage: “I’m not an attractive town crier, have a good night!” ZOLADZ

The “in memoriam” segment is always a difficult moment for the Grammys, one that often turns into an embarrassment. This year she found the right tone with the right artists. Stevie Wonder opened with a tribute to Tony Bennett, whose version of “For Once in My Life” fueled Wonder’s very different hit version; Years later, they would record and perform the song as a duet. Wonder could have simply praised Bennett for his musicianship, but he also spoke warmly about Bennett’s early and lifelong commitment to civil rights.

He was followed by Annie Lennox, rhinestone tears streaming down her face, singing a deep, heartbreaking “Nothing Compares 2 U” in tribute to Sinead O’Connor, backed by Wendy and Lisa from Prince’s band The Revolution, and ending proclaiming: “Artists for the ceasefire, peace in the world.” Jon Batiste and singer Ann Nesby took Bill Withers’ songs from a markedly mournful “Ain’t No Sunshine” to full-on gospel with “Lean on Me.” And after a verbal tribute from Oprah Winfrey, Fantasia Barrino-Taylor had the lung power and a gold lamé dress (though she didn’t have the prowess to dance in high heels) to honor Tina Turner with “Proud Mary.” For once, in memoriam was about the way recorded music preserves life force: about memories, not endings. PAIRS

Hair lacquered and piled to the sky, dressed in barely-there Bob Mackie sequins, throwing out ad-libs in a vampy contralto: this year’s Grammy telecast was proof that Miley Cyrus, 31, is slowly transforming into Cher, in every sense. best possible ways. Cyrus accepted two Grammy Awards (the first she ever won) during the telecast and was enchanted by her strange speeches, but her star turn came when she performed “Flowers,” a relatively serious and straightforward pop tune that she embroidered with fun vocal runs. charisma and hilarious asides. “Why do you act like you don’t know this song?” she asked the crowd between lyrics, without missing a beat. Hannah Montana continues to be an accomplished artist! ZOLADZ

U2 played their rather routine latest single, “Atomic City,” to give the first televised look inside Sphere, James Dolan’s state-of-the-art $2.3 billion Las Vegas arena. But the majesty of the place was difficult to capture on television, and the director of the pre-recorded segment tried to compensate with endless, disorienting camera work that left me nauseous. They could also have been performing “Vertigo.” ZOLADZ

After a year of Taylor, “Barbie,” SZA, boygenius and Cyrus’ “Flowers,” women were always going to do well at the Grammys. But they didn’t just show up: they completely triumphed in the evening. Women won all of the competitive awards given out during the broadcast, and the night’s biggest tallies were all for women: three each for SZA, Victoria Monét, “Barbie” and boygenius (plus a fourth for that band’s Bridgers). From Eilish’s stunning performance of “What Was It Made For?” – in cat-eye sunglasses and a ’60s sweater like Peggy Olson from “Mad Men” – to Tracy Chapman’s teary eyes, Mitchell’s joy and Swift’s regal confidence as she accepts her fourth album of the year , the narrative of the night revolved around excellence and the empowered voices of women. No offense to Stevie Wonder or Billy Joel, who rocked it. But it was ladies’ night. And it was time. SISARIO

An intro and video promoted a performance by Luke Combs, who had a nominated country single with his faithful cover of Chapman’s 1988 song “Fast Car”: a song about hope, low-wage work, the longing for escape and crushing disappointment. But when the cameras came on stage, the acoustic guitar was in the hands of Chapman herself, who had been away from the music business for a long time and had not toured since 2009. She was smiling, poised and radiant, choosing the introduction of the song, instantly recognizable, and Then he sang with quiet authority, all the melancholic depths of his voice intact. Combs traded verses with her, looking across the stage as if he couldn’t believe she was there, sometimes mouthing her words. Even though they were side by side, Chapman was the center of everyone’s attention, and rightly so. PAIRS

Since announcing more than a year ago that she was suffering from stiff person syndrome, a neurological disease, followed by the cancellation of all her concerts, Celine Dion, the Canadian diva who made the soundtrack for “Titanic” and rejuvenated the very idea from Las Vegas. concert residency) has remained largely out of sight. But she made a triumphant and genuinely surprising return as the unannounced presenter of album of the year. Wrapped in a thick golden-brown coat, she recalled winning the award for “Falling Into You” in 1997 and then opened the envelope and shouted Taylor Swift’s name. She seemed an appropriately royalist appearance for the occasion, and Dion’s presence was a reminder that, even if she’s not singing, she’s still here, she’s still a star. SISARIO

Combs, SZA, Scott, Cyrus and Joel’s performances were presented through elaborately produced interview segments. If their goal was to build anticipation, they didn’t do it: they felt like delaying. I couldn’t help but think that with each one, a different musician had lost a place to perform. PAIRS

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