53rd Annual Grammy Awards: Good, Bad & Ugly

As I sit here the day after the Grammys thinking about the show and the performances, overall I thought it was very entertaining. Of course, it had its high and lows. I watched the Grammys from a different perspective – that of a critic – as I was trying to be fair and unbiased of the Grammys. Before I start to give my opinion, there are a few things to keep in mind. First of all, I have no idea of what I am talking about, I’m no professional critic by any means; I’m just a DJ with a love for music and the music industry. These are merely my opinions, which you may or may not agree with, but I call them as I see them. Let’s talk about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Let’s start with the Good. Overall, I thought that the show was incredible. Three specific acts that really stood out to me were that of Eminem with Dr. Dre & Rihanna, Justin Bieber with Jaden Smith & Usher, and then of course Lady Gaga – all of which absolutely killed it. From the dancing to the lights to the entire show the production value was unbelievable. Although Eminem is probably my favorite rapper of all time, it kind of pains me to admit I would have to give the best performance of the evening to Bruno Mars and B.O.B. They took their songs and made them into something completely different and unique. I felt as if I was watching a theatrical performance. They showed their true talent as they switched from singing, to guitar, to drums throughout their segment. If you didn’t see it, you should try as – in my humble opinion – they are the future of music.

Some other notable performances were Lady Antebellum (causing me to gain a new respect for country music), Mick Jagger in his first ever performance on the Grammys, and Barbara Streisand. Mick Jagger can really move for a sixty-seven year old and he sounded pretty good as well. It’s also worth mention that Lady Antebellum took home the most awards for the night.

Now, let’s talk about the bad. The opening was a joke. I have all the respect in the world for the talents of Aretha Franklin and wish her all the best, but the opening was an affront to her legacy. You might say that they didn’t sound that bad but Aretha was the Queen of Soul and the five women that they had on stage don’t even come close. These included Christina Aguilera, who managed to remember lyrics this week, but almost fell on stage, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Adams, Yolanda Adams and Martina McBride) I just think that there were better artists that could have been chosen for a more fitting tribute.

And then there was C-Lo Green. This was like Sesame Street meets the Grammy’s. From the costume to the characters, I thought it was ridiculous, and admittedly gave me a big laugh. I do love the song though, but I believe the original is much better (and makes a great ring tone).

I know all the hardcore Dylan fans will disagree with me on this one, but seriously, can anyone understand a word that Bob Dylan sings? When he came on with the other groups I took my bathroom break… I didn’t feel like I would be missing much.

I always thought that the Grammys was an award show, but they only gave out seven awards for the evening (or at least that were televised). Don’t get me wrong, the show was great and I’d rather watch them over the awards anyhow, but they ought to change it and just make it a pop music performance show with today’s biggest musicians.

Now for the Ugly! The only good part of Katy Perry’s performance was watching her wedding being projected on to her dress. What was that thing? I think she was trying to be Bjork from the Olympics a few years ago. I can’t stand any of her performances as they are all the same and way too bubble gum.

Finally, who the hell are Arcade Fire and Esperanza Spalding? Did they pay the Grammys off? Again, I’m just a DJ who loves his music, but those two just came out of nowhere, and I wasn’t impressed.

-Marc

To learn more about Marc, click here – Thoughts from a Philadelphia DJ

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