As a celebration of rock and roll, it's hard to think of a better tribute. The eyebrow-raiser of the evening however was perhaps Queen Latifah's turn as Dana Owens, offering a nuanced version of the classic "Lush Life" before launching into a feisty, swinging, "Baby Get Lost."ĭirector Quentin Tarantino introduced Green Day for an explosive "American Idiot." Some might have thought punk rock dead, but it turns out it is not only still relevant, but it's as provocative and confrontational as ever, and Green Day has evolved it further with the first punk rock opera. It was arguably the best, and most improbable, bar band ever put together, and it turned Staples Center — and millions of living rooms — into a good ol' rockin' neighborhood joint. Singing in Spanish, they spoke of escaping the crowd, something that sounded autobiographical coming from these tabloid favorites.īut a brief pause later, the feel and the groove changed dramatically as Gretchen Wilson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Keith Urban, Elvin Bishop, Tim McGraw and Allman Brothers' guitarist Dickey Betts, revisited classic Southern rock tracks such as "Freebird," and "Ramblin' Man" before the "Sweet Home Alabama" grand finale. Queen Latifah introduced the most surprising musical segment of the evening — "fifteen minutes everybody is going to be talking about in the morning," as she put it — featuring back-to-back Latin music and Southern rock.įirst, recently married husband-and-wife duo Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez invited us into their bedroom for a duet performance of the ballad "Escapemonos" (Let's Escape).
Their version of the classic "Georgia On My Mind," which Foxx dedicated "to an old friend," was emotional and respectful without trying to mimic Charles' version. After Keys sang a stirring "If I Ain't Got You," Foxx, nominated for an Oscar for his stunning turn as Ray Charles in Ray, joined her onstage at the piano while Jones conducted. Singer/songwriter Alicia Keys, actor Jamie Foxx and producer Quincy Jones collaborated on the early highlight of the evening. Queen Latifah — nominated for her most recent release, the vocal jazz of The Dana Owens Album — became the first GRAMMY Awards host in three years, taking the reins to open the telecast by recounting some of the great moments of GRAMMYs past.
Played out on multiple stages, flowing from the kinetic Black Eyed Peas reprising their "Let's Get It Started," to Gwen Stefani, with Eve, performing a sassy version of "Rich Girl," Los Lonely Boys singing a bilingual "Heaven," followed by Best New Artist winner Maroon5 playing "This Love" and Franz Ferdinand's high-energy "Take Me Out" leading to a segment finale. Norah Jones and U2 also won three GRAMMYs. The three were the top nominated artists this year. Tradition in the form of the late Ray Charles and his album Genius Loves Company, proved the big winner at the 47th GRAMMYs, with Charles taking five awards — among them Album Of The Year as well as Record Of The Year for the Norah Jones duet "Here We Go Again" — while the album earned another three for its producers and engineers.īut GRAMMYs were spread among a number of high-profile newer artists, with four going to Alicia Keys and three each to Kanye West and Usher. When the world heard James Brown call Usher the godson of soul, it was a fitting synopsis of the GRAMMY Awards, a show that often honors music's traditions and its bold new artists simultaneously.
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