TS1 and I watched the Grammys last night because this is one of the few awards shows which actually entertains–these days finding out the winners is easier to do on the web without suffering the faux-funny presenter quips. Of course we were anxious to see Bruce’s performance and he didn’t disappoint with tense version of Diamonds and Dust, though I wouldn’t have preferred that he get the early slot that Sir Paul McCartney wasted with his psychotropic piano. And what the heck was up with his hair? Bruce is usually in tight control over every aspect of a performance and I can’t imagine that he just took a pass on a pre-show haircut; maybe it was a very inside baseball tribute to the old folkies who inspired his last record.
U2 beat out Bruce for Song of the Year, which I thought was the right decision as Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own is just awesome, and John Prine took the Best Contemporary Folk Album. Bruce didn’t leave without some gold of his own, winning Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance over Clapton, Robert Plant, Neil Young and Rob Thomas–tell me which one of those does not fit.
After last year’s terrific Earth, Wind and Fire tribute, the announcement of a tribute to Sly and the Family Stone was no surprise and we were really looking forward to it. But when the time came, I was disappointed. Sly looked totally cool with the huge silver Mohawk and gold suit but his performance was somewhere south of actually being there. I understand the man has not performed in public in 19 years, and there’s surely a good reason for that because he’s passing on huge money, but if he wasn’t willing or able then the producers should have picked a classic act that was. I could care less to hear John Legend, Maroon 5, Ciera, Steven Tyler or Fantasia though Joss Stone, Joe Perry (Aerosmith guitarist) and Will.i.am (leader of the Black Eyed Peas) were not bad. Still, this should have been Sly’s stage and, after getting over the shock of his hair, he just left us sad.
BillSaysThis 