It was quite a night. And no I’m not talking about any big interpersonal cat fighting between celebrities, that he-said/she-said silliness. It seemed that this year the Grammys remembered what (and who) was important. And yes, it was a night of beauty, high fashion, and crazy good music – but this year the Grammys remembered how much we’ve lost. With so many artists recently leaving us, the 2016 Grammy Awards was filled with heartfelt tributes to the music legends we’ve lost. You can go to Grammy.com to see a complete list of artists and industry professionals the music community lost in 2015–2016.
Lady Gaga gave an epic performance in tribute to David Bowie, who just recently lost his battle with cancer. It was moving and wild and crazy and emotional. Somehow I think Bowie would’ve have been proud. She honored the late starman with her myriad of outfits, channeling Bowie’s signature looks. Lady Gaga performed some of David Bowie’s most loved songs at the 2016 Grammys, paying tribute to the rocker who recently died unexpectedly. Accompanied by Nile Rodgers on guitar performed “Space Oddity,” “Changes,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Suffragette City,” “Rebel Rebel,” “Fashion,” “Fame,” Under Pressure” and “Let’s Dance” before ending with “Heroes.”
Uber cool acapella group Pentatonix and the legend Stevie Wonder honored the legacy of Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White at the Awards. The wowed the audience with an emotional performance of “That’s the Way of the World.” Right before launching into their moving number they expressed the hope that White would “rest in eternal piece”.
Former band members of the late Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Joe Walsh performed Frey’s iconic “Take It Easy” alongside Jackson Browne. Browne took lead vocals and the rest of the Eagles added vocals, concluding with a standing ovation from the crowd.
Bonnie Raitt, Chris Stapleton, and Gary Clark Jr paid homage at the Grammy Awards with a B.B. King tribute, a guitar rich rendition on the King’s classic, “The Thrill Is Gone.” The three country and blues masterminds certainly gave the tribute the all-star treatment and had everyone feeling the blues… in the best way possible.
Miguel performed “She’s Out Of My Life” at the 2016 Grammys to celebrate the pending special edition re-release this year of Michael Jackson’s ‘Off The Wall’. The new version will include a documentary that Spike Lee made on the making of the album. Best part of this? Miguel was backed by the song’s original keyboardist, Greg Phillinganes. Yes, I love that.
And even though he’s (thankfully) very much alive, the Grammys also honored one of my very favorite artists Lionel Richie. A diverse array of contemporary artists took the stage at the 2016 Grammys to pay homage to the 66-year-old legend.
John Legend – “Easy” (Commodores)
Demi Lovato – “Hello” (Richie)
Luke Bryan – “Penny Lover” (Richie)
Meghan Trainor – “You Are” (Richie)
Tyrese Gibson – “Brick House” (Commodores)
Lionel Richie & Group – “All Night Long” (Richie)
What was your favorite part of the 58th annual Grammy Awards? Would love to hear what you think in the comments. Let’s talk about it!
