Tears, cheers and jeers for these performances
The name on everybody’s lips is gonna be Billie. ❚ Billie Eilish, the audacious teen rule-breaker who’s taken the music world by storm, swept the Grammys with wins in all four major categories, including best new artist, record and song (“Bad Guy”) and album of the year (“When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”). She’s the first artist to do so since Christopher Cross in 1981. ❚ The pop star also is one of more than two dozen artists who performed on Sunday’s telecast, which was gamely hosted by singer Alicia Keys, who provided moving tributes and memorable musical moments throughout. But not everyone fared as well as Eilish and Keys. ❚ Here are all the standouts and duds of the 2020 Grammys performances.
19. Aerosmith
Loud, messy and ultimately underwhelming, as the iconic Steven Tyler-led band performed a medley of hits including “Walk This Way” and “Living On the Edge” with rap duo Run-DMC. In fact, the most fun part of the performance was watching Lizzo in the audience, who was clearly having a ball (and even got a bleeped-out shoutout from Tyler).
18. ‘I Sing the Body Electric’
In an overlong show that ran 3 hours and 40 minutes, did we need this sappy performance of a song from 1980’s “Fame,” where even the best vo
calists (Ben Platt, John Legend) looked like they’d rather be anywhere else? The less said about Camila Cabello’s vocals, the better, but at least some rousing choreography from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy was a nice touch.
17. Nipsey Hussle tribute
Following so many beautiful and heartfelt performances, this tribute to late rapper and Los Angeles icon Nipsey Hussle was a letdown, as Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, Legend, YG, Roddy Ricch and Kirk Franklin all took the stage for “Letter to Nipsey” and “Higher.” The performance was unfocused, although Legend’s vocals anchored it.
16. Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani
The real-life couple looked and sounded great singing their romantic duet from Shelton’s “Fully Loaded: God’s Country.” But after the high-energy theatrics of Lizzo and the raw emotion of Keys and Boyz II Men, there was something a little hollow and forgettable about this performance. They showed some cute chemistry after the song finished – as Shelton smilingly bowed down to Stefani – but we wish there were some more sparks throughout.
15. Prince tribute
Was Janelle Monae unavailable, or was Usher simply having a rough night? Either way, the singer’s gruff vocals were not the best fit for a splashy Prince tribute, and the R&B star struggled to hit many of the high notes of the androgynous late icon’s catalog. After a dull “Little Red Corvette,” things got mildly better when he shifted his focus to dancing, showing off some truly impressive moves on the groovy “When Doves Cry” and “Kiss.” Major bonus points to FKA Twigs, who stole the show and brought some much-needed heat to the performance with her pole-dancing and hypnotic presence.
14. Gary Clark Jr.
The gravelly-voiced rocker gave a blazing performance of his song “This Land,” which may have lost some of its power on TV but still brought the audience inside Staples Center to its feet.
13. Camila Cabello
As childhood home video played in the background, Cabello serenaded her dad with “First Man,” a ballad off her new album “Romance” calling him “the first man who really loved me.” She ended the song by walking into the audience and holding her father’s hand as he tearfully looked on – the sort of manufactured, treacly awards-show moment that would normally make us roll our eyes. But it’s been a rough week, his tears seemed genuine and her crystalline vocals were on point, so we’ll just say this was sweet.
12. Bonnie Raitt
Strumming an acoustic guitar, Raitt gave a brief but touching performance of “Angel From Montgomery” as she acknowledged lifetime achievement award winner John Prine.
11. Jonas Brothers
The hit sibling band, who reunited last year, gave a perfectly fine and likable performance of their toe-tapping new single “What a Man Gotta Do,” joined by tank top-clad backup dancers. It was energetic and Nick Jonas gave us major Elvis Presley vibes, although the only thing we’ll likely still remember Monday morning are their flashy goldand-black jackets.
10. Ariana Grande
Grande toured practically nonstop last year in support of her Grammynominated album of the year “Thank U, Next,” so understandably, she seemed a little tired and occasionally overwhelmed here, with giant set pieces and costume changes. Still, that didn’t stop her from giving it her all during this three-song medley, where she blew the roof off during “Imagine” in a black ball gown, before serving us choreography during hits “7 Rings” and “Thank U, Next.” (That split!) She also seemed to be choked up, and even crying during the latter self-love anthem, so our hats off to her for soldiering through.
9. Tanya Tucker
Joined by Brandi Carlile on piano, the country legend – who picked up her first-ever Grammys Sunday – sang a poignant version of her song “Bring My Flowers Now,” featuring sadly timely lyrics such as “We all think we’ve got the time until we don’t.” Our only complaint was the performance was so brief, to make time for Tucker and Carlile to present the award for best comedy album (to Dave Chappelle, who wasn’t even in attendance).
8. Rosalía
The Spanish flamenco breakthrough and one of this year’s best new artist nominees donned a white fringed bodysuit and mesmerized with a choreography-filled medley of songs “Juro Que” and “Malamente,” full of hand claps and angelic auto-tuned vocals.
7. H.E.R.
After delivering the best performance of last year’s Grammys with “Hard Place,” H.E.R. once again wowed with the soulful “Sometimes,” alternating between piano and electric guitar.
6. Lil Nas X
No performance made us smile more tonight than Lil Nas X, who put an exciting new spin on his ubiquitous song of summer “Old Town Road,” incorporating many of its major remixes. He started the song sitting on a couch in his “living room,” before walking around a revolving set that took us on the journey of the trap-country hit: sharing verses with K-pop phenomenon BTS, viral star Mason Ramsey (aka “Yodel Boy”) and finally Billy Ray Cyrus. The shoehorned addition of the futuristic “Rodeo” at the end felt unnecessary, but it didn’t take away the pure joy of seeing them all singing on stage together.
5. Billie Eilish
After her cheeky, pyrotechnic-heavy “All the Good Girls Go to Hell” at the MTV Video Music Awards, it was nice to see Eilish do what she does best – sing – without all the bells and whistles. Sitting on a stool, and joined by her brother/collaborator Finneas O’Connell, the 18-year-old wunderkind gently and hauntingly sang her ballad “When the Party’s Over.” It was simple and stripped down, but given that it was sandwiched between bombastic turns from Grande and Aerosmith, it was a welcome change of pace.
4. Lizzo
Lizzo, who led this year’s nominations with eight, got the ceremony off to a dynamic start, showing her powerhouse vocals on “Cuz I Love You,” backed by a sweeping orchestra and wearing a glittering black gown. The charismatic pop-rap breakout then quick-changed into a futuristic bodysuit for a swaggering, playful rendition of her No. 1 hit “Truth Hurts,” accompanied by ballerinas and backup dancers. Lizzo capped off the performance with her signature flute solo, bringing the entire audience to their feet and reminding us that she’s one of the most joyful entertainers in music right now.
3. Alicia Keys
The returning Grammys host was faced with the daunting task of keeping the show light and music-focused, while still paying tribute to NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, who tragically died in a helicopter accident with his 13-yearold daughter and seven others late Sunday morning.
But Keys struck the perfect tone, performing a short, a cappella version of Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” with the R&B trio. It was impossible to not tear up watching the four of them, as they flawlessly sang stirring lyrics such as “I thought we’d get to see forever, but forever’s gone away.”
It was a lovely, heartbreaking tribute that both artists deserve major kudos for pulling together last minute.
2. Tyler, the Creator
Tyler easily won many new fans Sunday with his explosive Grammys performance, one of the best we’ve ever seen at an awards show – period. After a brief, a cappella take on his hit “Earfquake” with Charlie Wilson and Boyz II Men, the genre-bending rapper launched into a ferocious, fiery rendition of his song “New Magic Wand.” Screaming into a microphone, Tyler jumped wildly around the stage with dancers dressed in short blond wigs and bright pink suits. Meanwhile, suburban houses burned around them and a crater formed in the middle of a fake street, which he fell into at the end of the performance. Not only was it totally captivating to watch, but the camera shook chaotically right along with Tyler and his coterie, making this a manic fever dream we won’t soon forget.
1. Demi Lovato
Lovato, delivering her first major performance since she was hospitalized after a possible drug overdose in 2018, earned a much-deserved standing ovation for her raw, powerful and overwhelmingly emotional performance of new song “Anyone,” which she wrote four days before her hospitalization. The ballad is, as Lovato has described, a “cry for help,” with aching lyrics about loneliness (“I feel stupid when I sing / nobody’s listening to me”). The 27-yearold former Disney star choked up as she began the song and had to start over. Tears were seen streaming down her face as she effortlessly belted through its demanding vocal theatrics. In case you forgot that Lovato is one of our most talented, vulnerable and soulful live vocalists, watch “Anyone” and be moved to tears.