What the TV cameras missed
Go behind the scenes with us.
NEW YORK – A crowd of nearly 20,000 welcomed music’s biggest stars for the 31⁄ 2- hour main ceremony. But a lot took place beyond the cameras. Things you didn’t see on TV:
1 Kesha
and friends say a prayer
Singer Kesha, whose Praying — performed with Cyndi Lauper, Bebe Rexha, Camila Cabello and Julia Michaels — was a rare Me Too moment, prepared for the heartfelt performance with what appeared to be an impromptu prayer circle. The singers, with a white-clad group dubbed the Resistance Revival Chorus, were seen from the side behind a partition, and onstage ended the performance with a sustained group hug.
Host James Corden applauded, and told the crowd that “we’re in the midst of a movement that commands our attention.”
2Sam Smith had the jitters
The British crooner, who told Ryan Seacrest that “singing in front of people is still nerve-racking,” was glimpsed through a side view of one of two partitioned sets on the main stage pacing nervously backstage for several minutes before singing Pray. Wearing what appeared to be a long white lab coat, he was also one of a handful of performers who had lyrics to his song displayed on a Teleprompter.
Other backstage antics: Bruno Mars’ backup dancers, colorfully clad in gold, green and orange, were seen practicing their moves for several minutes before Finesse.
3Lorde, Smith have a moment
Album-of-the-year nominee Lorde and Smith were spotted mixing it up during a commercial break. From where we were sitting, we’re not sure if she offered the Too Good at Goodbyes singer a swig from her flask.
Fashion choices made it easy to spot some celebs. Chrissy Teigen was hard to miss in her glimmering Yanina Couture gown. It also wasn’t hard to find Beyoncé, sitting front-row center with her family, thanks to her fashion-forward hat.
4Please return to your seats!
Throughout the show, the director or stage manager repeatedly admonished the restless crowd to return to their seats as commercial breaks were ending. Many crowded around a circular stage in the middle of the floor as crew members tried to load in equipment.
And during a break just before the tribute to the victims of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting, showgoers were warned the “next act has a very emotional moment. We respectfully ask that you hold your applause.” (Many didn’t.)
5More fun after the show
A raucous after-party at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, half a mile from the Garden, featured thousands of guests spread among (and beyond) two sprawling ballrooms on different floors. A highlight to rival the awards show: Nile Rodgers (last year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee) and Chic performed a medley of some of the songwriter’s biggest hits, from We Are Fam
ily to Get Lucky, which he said he wrote with Pharrell Williams as a “motivational song” after beating cancer, twice.