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Against the Grain by: Andy Sullivan

Sunday night February 12 the Grammy’s were held.  Aside from the awards themselves, the show always produces some memorable, sometimes awkward, moments.  Of course, this year’s event would begin with mention of the passing 24 hours earlier of Whitney Houston.  There were tributes sprinkled throughout the night from artists such as Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson (Hudson sang “I Will Always Love You”).

Rhianna and Coldplay were another interesting pairing. As my buddy Josh Keown noted, Rhianna was looking very much like Tina Turner with her attire and hair.  Not to mention the fact that she’s thinner than a rail.  Awards-wise, this was “Adele Appreciation Night”. I had no problem with is: she is awesome and this was her first appearance and public performance since throat surgery.  She gave a spectacular performance of her hit “Rolling in the Deep”. That was an hour into the show, though. We would see her before that appearance, as she would win the first of her six Grammy’s.

Really the only surprise as far as winners go was virtual unknown Indy guy Bon Iver besting Band Perry, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj and Skillerex (don’t ask) to win Best New Artist.  Foo Fighters bested artists such as Coldplay and Mumford and Sons, when they won for their song, “Walk”, which they performed on the outdoor plaza stage. The performance was introduced by Jack Black.  That was definitely one of my personal favorites. 

There was a great Beach Boys tribute, led by Maroon 5 singing “Surfer Girl” with expert harmony.  That was followed by Foster The People, who I also really like, singing “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”.  FTP looked an awful lot like Beach Boys circa 1960.  The Beach Boys themselves closed out this set, performing their classic “Good Vibrations”.  They’ve still got it! Also, I just read the Boys have been added to Bonaroo!

Chris Brown performed and won Best R&B album for F.A.M.E.  Apparently the Grammy’s and crowd will put woman beating aside if you make catchy music.  “Rolling In The Deep” won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Adele.  She also picked up Best Pop Vocal for the album 21. 

Katy Perry sang what I can only perceive as a kiss-off song about Russell Brand, her ex-husband, called “Part of Me”.  A cathartic feeling mixed with some anger is what I got out of this song.  Lady A’s Own The Night won Best Country Album, leading the way for Taylor Swift to introduce a great tribute to Glen Campbell, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s.  First, Band Perry covered “Gentle on My Mind”.  Normally I’m not a fan of theirs but they did well here.  They introduced Blake Shelton, who did a great version of “Southern Nights”.  Honestly, he needs to record his version of this song.  Blake had the extreme honor of introducing the legendary Glen Campbell performing “Rhinestone Cowboy”.  Everyone was singing along with this one, including me right there in my living room.  Good thing nobody could hear me sing!

Carrie Underwood and Tony Bennett presented Bon Iver the Grammy for Best New Artist.  We then had the montage of those who were lost this past year, among them E Street Band sax player Clarence Clemmons and Whitney Houston.  Afterwards, Jennifer Hudson sang an a capella version of version of “I Will Always Love You”, made famous of course by Dolly Parton and then Whitney. 

R&B artist Drake then introduced the weirdest performance of the night: Niki Minaj.  It started with a mini-movie showing on screen, flash to Minaj breaking free from a cross to which she was chained.  As if that wasn’t enough to turn me off( it was, by the way), she started singing.  Mercy!

Lady A presented Adele with Record of the Year for “Rolling in the Deep”.  Adele concluded her “six-pack sweep” when her album 21 snagged Album of the Year.  It was all well-deserved if you ask me.  Adele has an amazing voice!
Paul McCartney and friends(including Joe Walsh, Dave Grohl, etc) closed the Grammy’s with a great jam session, a dream performance for a guitarist like myself.  Here is the list of all winners.  http://justjared.buzznet.com/2012/02/12/grammys-winners-list-2012/

Hello, my name is Andy Sullivan. I received my bachelor’s degree in business from Mid-Continent University in May 2009. I began writing for Beech Tree News in July 2009.  I enjoy playing guitar, the occasional Wii game, writing, and listening to music. I write a sports blog that can be found at http://andy-sportshorts.blogspot.com. If you have a comment, feel free to leave it in the space below.


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