The good, bad and ugly at Grammys
Skip the Grammys last night? Here’s what you did — and didn’t — miss:
Most undeserving win, Part 1: In a great year for hip-hop with Drake and Kanye West dropping bold, brilliant albums and Kendrick Lamar continuing his ascent, how could middle-of-the-road duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis win practically every major award in the hip-hop category? Ridiculous. During their win for best new artist, Macklemore’s fiancee could be seen crying in the crowd. Hip-hop fans were doing the same.
Most undeserving win, Part 2: Look, we love Led Zeppelin and all, but it was absurd for Zeppelin to win best rock album for “Celebration Day,” a live album recorded during their 2007 one-off concert. First off, live records shouldn’t even be included here. Give them their own category if you must. But for this disc to beat out the latest records from the likes of Queens of the Stone Age and Neil Young was less rockin’ than the Air Supply oeuvre.
Best win: Not only was Kasey Musgraves’ best country album Grammy coup well deserved for her “Same Trailer Different Park,” but it was maybe the biggest upset of the evening as well, as she beat out big names like Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift. Speaking of the latter, did you see the look on Swift’s face when Musgraves was announced as the winner? She looked as if she was standing downwind from a pig farm.
Random Grammy observation No. 1: Keith Urban is dreamy — you know, like that dream you have where you’re naked in class and an Australian dude is singing crappy country songs.
Best fashion accessory: Kasey Musgrave’s illuminated, Electric Horsegirl cowboy boots.
Worst fashion accessory: Pharrel Williams’ hat. Somewhere in Canada, a Mountie is missing his lid.
Random Grammy observation No. 2: Taylor Swift is cool and all, but I just wish she’d sing less about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and more about boys, you know?
Karmic debt repaid: Twenty-five years ago, the Grammys debuted the best metal performance category. Metallica, who were nominated for the inaugural award, performed on the Grammy broadcast that year, roaring through the epic “One.” The band ignominiously lost out to Jethro Tull that year, but 2½ decades later, they returned to play “One” once again, this time with pianist Lang Lang, in one the evening’s most over-the-top, Jethro Tull-worthy moments.
Local love: Imagine Dragons continued their dreamlike run of the past year with a Grammy win for best rock performance for “Radioactive,” while their hair flinging run through the song, with a guest spot from Kendrick Lamar, was one of most heated, well-received performances of the evening. Our favorite moment of the night involving the band, though, was when they were spotted in the crowd, up on their feet, smiling wide and clapping along as Merle Haggard and Blake Shelton threw down on “Okie from Muskogee.”
Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow on Twitter @JasonBracelin.
