The 2013 Grammy Awards

   The long awaited Grammy Awards finally graced us with it's presence. So how did it go? While we all love winners, let's take a look at all the performances for the night.   

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   The show opened up with one of this year's most popular jams, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift. The performance was nothing short of poppin' with flashing lights, big explosions, and a unique union of Alice in Wonderland and the circus. All the excitement aside, people couldn't stop talking about the "noticeable" diss towards recent T. Swift ex Harry Styles of One Direction. During the bridge of her hit song, Swift chose to use a mediocre British impression while reciting the lyric "I still love you". So was it really a diss towards the U.K. stud? Well, everyone else seems to think so.

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   Out struts the 55th Annual Grammy Awards host LL Cool J looking fresh in his white suit. Did anyone else notice his awkward pauses that lacked applause or any kind of excitement? Well that all changed once he started naming some of the great artists that have filled our ears and souls with musical nectar like Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and Adele. "Are you ready for your show?" yelled Cool J. Hell yes we are, let's get to the performances and awards already!

   The British are coming... and boy did they leave an impression. Ed Sheeran accompanied by the legendary Elton John performed Sheeran's debut hit "The A Team". The two Brits gave a wonderfully harmonized duet together and truly captivated the audience.  

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   While Fun. has always been a good time (insert more jokes here), they really took it to a new level having the entire band...including instruments rained upon. This was no ordinary drizzle, but a solid down pour. Amazingly no electrocutions or malfunctions occurred. Shortly after, Miranda Lambert hit the other side of the stage with Dierks Bentley in tow. Lambert really saved the performance from the devastatingly boring and sleep-inducing music with her hauntingly beautiful voice. Newcomer Miguel really showed them how it was done at the Grammy awards in regards to vocals. Not only was his voice on point, but it made all 'dem painties drop! Wiz Khalifa was a great addition to the baby making music. 

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   Was anyone else thinking... "Johnny Depp? He doesn't even go here!?" ...prior to the incredible performance by none other than Mumford and Sons. These guys had Facebook and Twitter news feeds blowing up! Maybe I'm biased but those boys know how to put on a show that plasters a smile on every audience members' face, especially with that brilliant hit "I will". There is no telling whether it's the group head bang, the magical harmonizing or that bad-ass banjo that makes every Mumford and Sons performance enjoyable.

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   Adam Levine must have left his charisma at the door because it was Alicia Keys who really steamed up that stage when she started banging those drums and released that fierce voice of hers. When looking back on the performance as a whole... let's be honest, Keys really stole the show. Levine might as well have been back up singing for Keys during the "Daylight" and "Girl on Fire" medley... oh wait, he pretty much was.

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   Rihanna's voice was the only exciting part of her performance. Yes, the song "Stay" was meant to be gut-wrenching and evoke powerful emotion... unfortunately, it failed. The performance by The Black Keys, Dr. John, and Preservation Hall Jazz Band of "Lonely Boy" was no disappointment. The sheer talent the group exuded was enough to distract from the awkward Native American get-up Dr. John wore and the random positioning of everyone. Kelly Clarkson sang a beautiful tribute to the late Patti Page and Carole King with "Tennessee Waltz" and  "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman". It wasn't incredible, but it was about time we heard those pipes again on the Grammys. 

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   Bruno Mars will always be a fan favorite. That voice, those looks, those moves...the list goes on and on. His hit song "Locked out of heaven" really got the audience pumped. Sting was an interesting choice to join the excitement. While he may not be able to harmonize well with Mars, he turned it around with an incredible segue into "Walking on the Moon" and finally, Rihanna, Ziggy & Damion Marley appeared bringing Marley Madness to the stage with "Could You Be Loved". At that point, the audience was really swaying and feelin' the love. A truly power-house performance that played great homage to Bob Marley. 

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   The highly anticipated comeback that everyone was hoping, praying and waiting for finally happened, but did it live up to the hype? Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" was just that before Jay-Z hit the stage and saved the dull song. Timberlake redeemed himself with his second song "Pusherlove" which even got me groovin'. While this may not be the show-stopping performance we had all expected, "the triple threat" definitely left the impression that he isn't going anywhere and will only continue to keep us entertained in a multitude of ways. 

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   The latest song to hit eternal repeat on everyone's IPod, "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers, had the entire audience singing along. Jack White stunned with "Love Interruptions" and even managed to spark some controversy over whether or not he let out an F-Bomb. No worries CBS, just a small misunderstanding. He said "fight", not "fuck". Truth gun---While Carrie Underwood has always been an incredible singer and gave an awesome performance singing "Blown Away" and Two Black Cadillacs", her dress stole the show. What appeared to be an elegant silver ballgown soon became LED projections of butterflies, rose petals, and more. She definitely gave us something to talk about. 

   There are no words to describe how passionate and spirited the Levon Helm Tribute was. Incredible performances by such legendary artists. Speaking of no words, really Frank Ocean? Forrest Gump? You are going to sing a song about Forrest Gump?? I'll leave this one open for the comments below. Closing the show was a performance by LL Cool J which brought us back to when rap and rock first formed a beautiful union. 

Final Thoughts:

• Great show but not memorable. I can't see anyone talking about how exciting the 55th Annual Grammy Awards were in the next year... no, couple of weeks.
• Prince, let's crack a smile once in awhile huh?
• Did anyone else notice how often Taylor Swift had a camera on her?
• LL Cool J is more of a motivational speaker than host. There were several silent and awkward moments between his speeches.
• Lena Dunham stuck out like a sore thumb wearing yellow but was absolutely adorable each time her boyfriend's band Fun. won an award.
• Who was the guy that unceremoniously unplugged Cool J's performance and replaced it with Hilton and Delta ads? 
• LL Cool J LOVED saying #hashtag. Any one have a "hashtag" count?
• Everyone addressed Adele's greatness and rightfully so. Well done.

A list of all the Grammy winners can be found here.