Highlights from the 56th Grammy Awards Show

Beyoncé.  Lorde.  Paul McCartney.

These are just a few of the many superstars and music veterans that appeared at the 56th Grammy Awards, which aired this past Sunday on CBS.  From several legendary collaborations to a mass wedding, the award show was definitely interesting to say the least.

The show opened with Beyoncé singing a remixed version of her song “Drunk in Love,” joined by Jay-Z onstage to rap some verses.  Let’s just say the two of them made a bold statement that is sure to have people talking.

Contrastingly, Lorde went for a more minimalistic and dark performance with her smash-hit “Royals.”  To her surprise, she even won two Grammy awards for Song of the Year Best Pop Solo Performance, beating out established megastars such as Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, and Bruno Mars.

Pink was another performer that truly engaged the audience.  She glided through the air, showing off her impressive acrobatic skills, amazing endurance and unbelievable strength.  Afterwards, she sang a duet of her song “Just Give Me A Reason” with the talented Nate Ruess of Fun.

The award show also brought back some veterans of the music industry to perform, pairing them up with some of today’s talent.  Blake Shelton, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson brought back classic country, singing songs such as “Okie from Muskogee.”  In addition, Robin Thicke and popular 70’s band Chicago performed a mash-up of several songs, which included “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” and “Blurred Lines.”  Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams also teamed up with Stevie Wonder, performing a groovy rendition of “Get Lucky.”  Additionally, Sara Bareilles and Carole King performed a piano-driven, acoustic performance, singing a mash-up of “Beautiful” and “Brave.”

During the latter half of the show, the Grammys took some time to celebrate and honor the music career of the Beatles.  After praising their accomplishments and acknowledging their impact on the music industry, The Beatles were given the Lifetime Achievement Award, deeming them legends.  And, shortly after, both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed during the show.  On top of this, Paul McCartney also won a Grammy for his collaboration with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear on the song “Cut Me Some Slack.”

The Grammy Awards also paid tribute to legends and stars with a memoriam montage.  The tribute took the audience on a journey that spanned memorable eras, which consisted of great talents who have passed away.  Unfortunately, dedicated fans noticed that the organizers had misspelled Cory Monteith’s name, which has caused some uproar.

Perhaps the most controversial portion of the show was the final act.  Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert performed “Same Love” alongside Madonna.  During the song, Queen Latifah directed a mass wedding of over 30 couples, which definitely made a statement that is sure to be all over news websites and social media.

Overall, the show had its moments of brilliance and thrill as well as times of dullness and lackluster.  And, in cased you missed it, here are some of the winners out of the 82 categories (the full list can be seen at the Grammys website):

Best New Artist:  Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Pop Duo/Group Performance:  Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams

Best Rock Song:  Cut Me Some Slack by Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear

Best Pop Solo Performance:  Royals by Lorde

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:  Holy Grail by Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z

Producer of the Year:  Pharrell Williams

Best Rock Performance:  Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Best Pop Vocal Album:  Bruno Mars’ “Unorthodox Jukebox”

Best Dance Recording:  Clarity by Zedd and Foxes

Best Country Album:  Kacey Musgraves’ “Same Trailer, Different Park”

Song of the Year:  Royals by Lorde

Album of the Year: Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories”