A night at the Grammys

 

The 2022 Grammys were bound to come with a certain degree of anticipation. For starters, they were supposed to happen months ago, but we all know why they didn’t (see: the health crisis that everyone talked about before a war actually broke out). Then, they took place on the heels of this year’s Oscars ceremony, which famously got a little messy, ironically because of a musician. Well, part-time musician, if that makes any difference. Finally, previous Grammy award shows came with all sorts of criticisms, on topics including length, diversity and/or overall relevance. The point is, people were a little on their toes this time around…

In short, this new edition fulfilled its promise and then some. Below for more details:

• this will be a relief to some, the Grammys didn’t copy the Oscars insofar as no scandal broke out — of any serious kind. Nothing about something scandalous happening on stage, or someone saying something shocking — or else an absolute favorite being grossly overlooked. Which feels nice…
• the show lasted a grand total of 3 hours and 35 minutes — which you can find in full on Youtube, in a nice show of online generosity. That in itself is also a bit of a feat: having such a long even unfold, with all sorts of segments planned out and nothing getting derailed is cause for celebration!
• people were wondering if Ukraine’s president Zelensky would talk (virtually) at the Oscars; in the end, he did at the Grammys. As the war with Russia still rages on, Zelensky conveyed a message of hope and strength that seemed quite fitting as his country’s fight for freedom is very much necessary;
• on a more musical yet somber note, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who passed away a mere days prior to the event, got a sober tribute to remember him by. Before the band won several Rock awards, quite justifiably so…
• many (other) star musicians received many well deserved awards, including Jon Batiste (the most nominated artist of the night) who went home with Album of the year; Silk Sonic, who fairly logically snatched Record & Song of the year for their instant classic “Leave the Door Open”; Olivia Rodrigo, who was named Best New Artist (among other prizes)…
• there were still a few surprises, as there always are: Billie Eilish, for one, did not collect any award, despite being nominated for 7 of them and actually earning herself an Academy award just last weekend; Justin Bieber also got snubbed, although he started the night with no less than 8 nominations to his name (second only to Jon Batiste); President Obama also lost out (to the great Don Cheadle, which arguably makes it a lesser blow), a first after two wins…
• the biggest controversy of the night has to be about about comedian Louis CK, who won Best Comedy Album for his most recent special. It did reference his infamous Me Too accusations, although the man largely decided to shrug them off. While this issue pales in comparison to the loss of a legendary drummer — not to mention Ukraine’s all-out war with Russia, it still leaves a sour note to the proceedings…