The 2012 Grammy Awards have come and gone, and no star shined brighter than Adele. For the first time since undergoing throat surgery last year, the star was onstage for an incredible performance of her hit single, “Rolling In The Deep.” Adele went home with six awards, including Album of the Year for “21,” which hit its 20th week on top of the Billboard charts this week. Other top winners included the Foo Fighters, who took home five Grammys, and Kanye West, who was not in attendance but won four awards.
After a great buildup of hype for performances by urban music stars Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown, both were incredibly disappointing. Minaj walked the red carpet appearing to be Little Red Riding Hood and brought a man dressed up like the pope with her. If that wasn’t strange enough, an exorcism occurred in a pre-song video and during a disappointing performance of “Roman Holiday.” The first few singles Minaj has released from her upcoming album, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” have let down many fans so far, and her performance at the Grammys didn’t help her cause. It left fans and viewers confused and quite horrified. It’s hoped that Minaj will take a step back and get back to the artist who wrote a better verse to “Monster” than Kanye West or Jay-Z.
Meanwhile, Chris Brown, who won the Grammy for Best R&B Album, managed to sing very few words during his performance of his new single, “Turn the Music Up,” as well as “Beautiful People” from his award-winning album, “F.A.M.E.” While his dancing was impressive, even that was lacking compared to past performances. Added to the fact that he wasn’t singing, it led to a pretty subpar performance.
This year’s Grammy Awards featured performances in memory of two legendary singers who passed away: Etta James and Whitney Houston. Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt teamed up for a duet performance of James’ “Sunday Kind of Love,” with Keys on piano and Raitt on guitar. The unique pairing gave a great tribute performance to James, who passed away Jan. 20.
Later in the night, Jennifer Hudson blew the audience away with her performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” The performance was put together quickly, as Houston’s death shocked the music community Feb. 11, the day before the show. Despite that, Hudson delivered one of the best performances of the night.
The show closed with an unbelievable performance from Paul McCartney. After performing “Golden Slumbers” and “Carry That Weight,” McCartney brought Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh and Dave Grohl on stage for an epic end to the 2012 Grammys as they performed “The End.”
Overall, this year’s Grammys were filled with ups and downs. While the award winners were much more deserving than in years past, the live performances could have been stronger. The two tributes, along with Adele’s and McCartney’s performances, made the Grammys worth watching this year.