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Grammy's Live Thread

Lady Gaga arrived in an egg. The Grammys may be worth watching just for her. Update: She was pretty awesome. I loved the choreography.

Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Florence and the Machine (and one other) open with a tribute to Aretha Franklin.

If you're watching, here's a place to share your thoughts.

{more...]

Will and Jada Smith are beaming at their son Jaden's performance with Justin Bieber. The two were just the cutest. (Remember him from Pursuit of Happyness?)And their daughter Willow, 10, is releasing her second record. That's a lot of talent for one family.

Muse's The Resistance wins best rock album. Matt Bellamy thanks his pregnant girlfriend (Kate Hudson, whose ex-husband and father of her first child is Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes.)

Lady Gaga beats out Justin Bieber and Katy Perry for a big award. Lady Gaga's outfit was totally out there, and her acceptance speech a little long and old-school, filled with thank yous to agents, parents, sister etc. Then with the music cueing her that she was running over, she thanks Whitney Houston and says her new song Born This Way was written with Whitney in mind. Kind of odd, but then what about Lady Gaga isn't odd?

Bob Dylan's voice on Maggie's Farm is drowned out by banjos and the beyond hyper group that's backing him up. The audience liked it though, and Neil Young gave him a wave.

Ok, I'm ready for Mick Jagger.

Gwenneth Paltrow's shoes were awesome. What's up with all the Lady Antebellum wins? The censor bleeps are really overblown -- more like blackouts -- and annoying. Where's Mick already?

Anyone notice how happy Nicole Kidman seems? She's totally into the music, she was singing along to Katy Perry (added: and Mick Jagger.)

Update: Wow, just wow. I expected Mick Jagger to be great, but he just owned that stage, the audience, the whole show. And to think he's 67. What an amazing performer. I don't think there is anyone as unique as he is.

I wonder if Barbara Streisand chatted with Mick Jagger backstage, and if they had anything in common to talk about. Same era, so different. Her music isn't my style. I always think of her leading a very reclusive life, it's good to see her get out.

Final thoughts: It was a pretty good Grammys show. Really long, but it allowed for longer performances which was a good thing. I just hope I can get that Antebellum song out of my head. I'm surprised Justin Bieber didn't win. He's tweeting now and very gracious about it. You Tube is busy scrubbing all the uploaded Grammy performances so I won't bother linking to any more of them.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Babble (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by bordenl on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 09:26:21 PM EST
    I am convinced that Lady Antebellum will win everything and deserve none of it.

    Very nice to see Esperanza Spalding win. Performing at the WH will do that for you.

    Also nice to see Eminem performing again. "Forever" one of the highlights last year.

    Mick! (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by byteb on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 09:36:36 PM EST


    That was wonderful (none / 0) (#8)
    by bordenl on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 09:42:42 PM EST
    He has gotten so old, but he is completely confident that he can own that stage.

    Parent
    how old is he? 67? (none / 0) (#9)
    by byteb on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 09:48:24 PM EST
    yes 67 (none / 0) (#35)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:59:11 PM EST
    It finally came on here, and he was just terrific. Love that he hasn't had any plastic surgery.

    Parent
    He still has the magic "it" factor (none / 0) (#37)
    by byteb on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 11:10:35 PM EST
    He was amazing.

    Parent
    I've been watching sporadically (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by andgarden on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:05:42 PM EST
    Can I just say how much I hate, hate, hate country music--almost as much as rap.

    me too (none / 0) (#12)
    by byteb on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:09:34 PM EST
    really? (none / 0) (#15)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:19:22 PM EST
    I like it. I finally saw Crazy Heart last night and liked that too. Or maybe I just like country rock. Anyone remember the Pure Prairie League? I think they were the first country band I liked. But the Stones' "Dead Flowers" (one of their few country type songs) is one of my favorites -- the Eagles and even Bon Jovi do good country too.

    Parent
    Aimee, what you gonna do? (none / 0) (#20)
    by ruffian on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:25:05 PM EST
    Pure Prairie League was a staple of my college years in the prairie. Also Poco was a good country rock band.

    Parent
    I distinguish country rock from (none / 0) (#22)
    by ruffian on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:27:41 PM EST
    what I think andgarden was referring to- stuff like that young blond girl was singing that made me turn the show off. Don't know her name, someone's fiancé. Apparently very popular.

    Parent
    You're speaking of (none / 0) (#51)
    by CoralGables on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 09:41:24 AM EST
    Miranda Lambert and her song "The House That Built Me" written by Allen Shamblin and Tom Douglas. She's quite popular and moving upwards.

    Parent
    Speaking of Dead Flowers (none / 0) (#23)
    by hilts on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:30:45 PM EST
    I was very pleaseantly surprised when the Rolling Stones played this song at the 1989 Shea Stadium concert I attended.

    Parent
    its one of about (none / 0) (#33)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:58:01 PM EST
    5 songs I can play on the guitar. Really easy.

    Parent
    Really (none / 0) (#24)
    by andgarden on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:30:48 PM EST
    I saw and enjoyed Crazy Heart in spite of the music.

    It's hard to say why exactly, except that I just don' feel it. It comes off as totally manufactured and fake. And unlike most pop, it does so without any apparent self-awareness. It is also often slow.

    Parent

    guess it's what (none / 0) (#41)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 11:22:33 PM EST
    you get exposed to. When I was in college in Ann Arbor, we drove to Nashville once a year to go to the Grand Ole Opry. I liked Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn, just like I liked the Detroit locals; Iggy Pop, the MC5 and Bob Seger. There was also folk (Joni Mitchell), James Taylor, and CSN&Y, the Stones, the Beatles, Jefferson Airplane -- all of which are so different. And jazz and blues. So much more varied than now, I think.

    Parent
    So much more varied (none / 0) (#44)
    by hilts on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 11:34:31 PM EST
    I agree with you 1,000%. If I think back of who was recording in 1969, I could come up with 2 complete alternate line-ups of acts that might have performed at the Woodstock Festival that would have been comparable in quality to the actual lineup that played at the festival.

    Speaking of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, are you familiar with this album?

    "Amchitka is a 2009 two-CD release of a recording of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Phil Ochs performing an October 16, 1970, benefit concert at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. The event funded Greenpeace's protests of 1971 nuclear weapons tests by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission at Amchitka, Alaska."
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amchitka_(album)

     

    Parent

    O.M.G . . . (none / 0) (#27)
    by nycstray on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:45:52 PM EST
    PPL!!!!! totally forgot about them!  :) also really like Dead Flowers . . .

    also have been know in my past to throw down at some country playin' jukeboxes in the East Village, NYC :P The question is, did I dance on the bars?  :D

    Parent

    First Country Rock Band I Liked (none / 0) (#29)
    by hilts on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:55:19 PM EST
    Jeralyn,

    What about the Allman Brothers Band?

    Parent

    I didn't think of them (none / 0) (#31)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:56:42 PM EST
    as country but blues. Guess they were both.

    Parent
    Maybe you're right on that point (none / 0) (#34)
    by hilts on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:58:50 PM EST
    Are you a fan of the Allman Brothers Band?

    Parent
    yes (none / 0) (#38)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 11:12:29 PM EST
    Always have been. The Eat a Peach album and Live at the Fillmore East. Blue Sky, Whipping Post, Rambling Man. I even like Gregg Allman's "I'm No Angel".

    Parent
    Allman Bros at Fillmore East (none / 0) (#40)
    by hilts on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 11:17:06 PM EST
    Is one of my 3 favorite concert albums alongside Get Yer Ya-Yas Out by the Rolling Stones and Live at Leeds by the Who

    Parent
    I may be a new Gaga fan (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by ruffian on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:19:57 PM EST
    Until tonight I had never actually watched her perform or listened to her music and just assumed she was 99% hype. But wow, that was good.

    Only saw the first hour of the show...all the ads and country songs just drove me nuts. I'll catch the video of the good stuff later.

    Personally, I prefer Katy Perry (none / 0) (#25)
    by andgarden on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:32:48 PM EST
    But I still mourn the loss of Whitney Houston's voice.

    Parent
    It is a shame (none / 0) (#48)
    by sj on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 12:14:13 AM EST
    about Whitney's voice.  Although that kind of singing is not my cup of tea.  It reminds of a line from a book where the Irish protagonist was describing Jenny Lind, a renowned opera singer of the late 1800's.

    " ... a screecher.  It's the ears she would tear from your head."

    That was also always my feeling about Minnie Riperton with her 5 and half octaves.  (Does she have to use all of them?).  She died tragically young.

    I like Katy Perry fine, but I prefer something with rhythms.  Something that gets the feet moving and/or the heart pounding.  So yes to Lady Gaga, Middle Eastern pop and a fair amount of hip-hop.  And Eminem strikes me a strange little man, but he's a talented strange little man.  Love him.  I'm a reluctant fan -- as I am with Lady Gaga, Ke$ha and Madonna.  When you're talented, you're talented.

    Parent

    I do too (none / 0) (#55)
    by ruffian on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 10:52:15 AM EST
    She is a lot more my style. I'm not as into dance music, and it seems to me Lady Gaga is great dance club music and Katy Perry is more pop.

    I'm not really going to go out and follow either one of them, but I will at least know them when I hear them now.

    I have no idea who Antebellum is.

    Parent

    Also miss Whitney Houston (none / 0) (#57)
    by ruffian on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 10:54:34 AM EST
    I really loved her music. She had the goods.

    Parent
    I think I'm going to have nightmares (none / 0) (#43)
    by Towanda on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 11:34:16 PM EST
    about Lady Gaga's pointy shoulders.

    But the rest of the costuming, the makeup, the choreography -- great.  And, at times, her voice, too.

    Parent

    Congrats to Mavis Staples. (none / 0) (#1)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 08:09:42 PM EST
    Her "You Are Not Alone" won the Grammy Award tonight for Best Americana Album.

    Well deserved.

    Here she is acoustic with Jeff Tweedy

    Tribute to Mick Jagger (none / 0) (#2)
    by hilts on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 08:31:45 PM EST
    The Rolling Stones at the pinnacle of their career
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dhPOevcbek

    wow, that's a great (none / 0) (#3)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 08:47:48 PM EST
    performance. Thanks for the link. I bookmarked it.

    Parent
    You're Welcome (none / 0) (#5)
    by hilts on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 09:04:40 PM EST
    I'm a huge Rolling Stones fan and I've read many accounts that cite their 1972 concert tour as one of the best concert tours of all-time.  I wish I could have seen them in person on this tour, but I'm thankful that some of these performances have been captured on film.

    Parent
    I can't remember if I saw (none / 0) (#13)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:11:27 PM EST
    them in 1972 but I did in 1978 and here's an original photo from the concert that has hung on the wall behind my desk at home ever since. (It's huge. A local record store owner took it and sold me the negative which I had blown up.) More here.

    Parent
    I love the effect with the reflection (none / 0) (#18)
    by ruffian on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:21:32 PM EST
    Looks like they are performing in your living room!

    Parent
    Love those photos (none / 0) (#21)
    by hilts on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:26:57 PM EST
    Thanks for sharing them! I saw the Rolling Stones in 1989 at Shea Stadium. "Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones", a concert film of the 1972 tour was finally released on dvd in 2010. It's on my list of films to see.

    In general, I'm not a fan of the Grammy's, but I appreciate it when a performer I enjoy such as Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, or Barbara Streisand makes a brief appearance.

    Parent

    Just saw Mick's performance here (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by caseyOR on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 12:46:35 AM EST
    on the west coast. He was great.

    It is hard to believe he's 67. I have to say, and I mean no disrespect to Sir Paul, but when compared to Mick, Paul McCartney looks a lot like an old guy with a bad dye job. A phenomenally talented old guy, but still. Looks like nearly 50 years of jumping around on countless stages has paid off for Mick. Talk about your aerobics work-out.

    Parent

    Not sure about McCartney -- (none / 0) (#52)
    by brodie on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 09:49:58 AM EST
    Wow! (none / 0) (#53)
    by sj on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 10:13:29 AM EST
    It was a completely different show back then.  The whole red carpet glamour thing hadn't hit yet (he's wearing sneakers!  Love that).  Don't know what award was being given as I watched without sound but that was sure a short acceptance speech.  Even I could lip read that.

    "Thank you."

    That was awesome.

    Parent

    Sorry, but... (none / 0) (#54)
    by huzzlewhat on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 10:48:08 AM EST
    "No disrespect, but..." followed by that sentence? The equivalent to the southern, "bless him," I guess. :-)

    I'm one of those Lennon and McCartney, Beatles and Stones people that aren't supposed to exist, apparently. I saw McCartney in Philly this past summer. Nearly three hours on stage (when back in the day, the Beatles' shows topped out at about 25 minutes), and still pulled out "Helter Skelter" as the second encore and left he stage with a bounce in his step. Yeah, I wish he'd lay off the hair dye (I'm particularly partial to the 90s-era silver mane), but the years disappear when he's performing, just as with Mick. Both are such born performers it's unreal, and we're fortunate to have been gifted with their talents for so long.

    Parent

    I told my mom (none / 0) (#26)
    by nycstray on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:41:32 PM EST
    (75yo) those 3 would be performing, she's gonna watch now :)

    Parent
    mesmorized by gwenth paltrow's shoes (none / 0) (#4)
    by byteb on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 08:53:06 PM EST
    i thought for sure she'd fall off the piano. ;)

    totally loved the shoes (none / 0) (#14)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:13:16 PM EST
    she was really good, but I could have done without the muppets.

    Parent
    Oh, I loved the shoes too...but I could never (none / 0) (#17)
    by byteb on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:21:01 PM EST
    walk in the them without falling down.

    Parent
    Not Lady Antebellum again. :( (none / 0) (#10)
    by byteb on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:04:53 PM EST


    Arcade Fire? (none / 0) (#19)
    by byteb on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 10:25:02 PM EST
    well, at least it wasn't Lady Antebellum.

    I never heard of them (none / 0) (#42)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 11:27:27 PM EST
    either before tonight and they just sound noisy to me. Guess I'm getting old.

    Parent
    Arcade Fire (none / 0) (#58)
    by eric on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 12:06:37 PM EST
    has never been played on commercial radio, that's why many haven't heard of them.  This album deserved to win - it's fantastic.

    Parent
    thanks for the Grammy thread, Jeralyn (none / 0) (#45)
    by byteb on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 11:44:03 PM EST


    While trolling the utubes tonight... (none / 0) (#46)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Sun Feb 13, 2011 at 11:52:50 PM EST
    ...I came across this video from a former Grammy winner--and gained a new found respect for him.  I didn't know that he was a Social D fan...

    Bruce Springsteen with Mike Ness doing Bad Luck live in LA in '09.  

    Jolene (none / 0) (#47)
    by nycstray on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 12:10:37 AM EST
    brought back some serious memories . . .  My kitty Jolene wandered into my apt as a kitten when I was in college. Don't even know if they did the song justice, I just enjoyed hearing it as I used to sing it to her* :)

    * and I don't do singing!!!!

    Mick Jagger (none / 0) (#50)
    by Dadler on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 08:16:12 AM EST
    Gotta watch the performance on DVR, my sister's boyfriend was the sax player in the band.  Hopefully he got a little screen time.

    watched it, great performance (none / 0) (#56)
    by Dadler on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 10:53:43 AM EST
    and i caught a few glimpses of my, hopefully, future bro in law blowing the tenor sax int he background.  nice job, scott.

    Parent
    Gaga (none / 0) (#59)
    by SOS on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 12:15:06 PM EST
    Reminds me of 1980's Madonna. Actually what she does is not music but theatrical.

    The egg thing was totally ridiculous. McCartney, Dylan, Aretha, real musicians don't have to arrive in plastic eggs to get attention.

    Obviously.

    It's not about attention (none / 0) (#60)
    by sj on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 12:48:46 PM EST
    She's an artist and it's performance art as well as musical art.  Performance art especially isn't about like or dislike.  It's about did you or did you not respond/react to it -- positive OR negative.  If you thought it was ridiculous enough to come here and specifically post a comment saying so, then it was effective art.

    Rather ironic, isn't it?  :)

    Parent

    And her song (5.00 / 1) (#61)
    by jbindc on Mon Feb 14, 2011 at 01:49:31 PM EST
    was "Born This Way".

    Kinda the whole symbolism of arising out of an egg, and birth, etc.

    Parent