The 66th Grammy Awards seemed to go exactly as planned on Sunday, despite arriving during the biggest storm of the year. And that was exactly the problem.
There were few notable gaffes, outbursts or bleep-laden speeches during the live broadcast from the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. Dua Lipa, SZA and Travis Scott's performances went smoothly. Four-time host Trevor Noah had his emcee routine so simple that the unpredictable comedian was predictable. As expected, Taylor Swift won album of the year, again.
So while some might call the fact that Swift took home the top prize, breaking the record she shared with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder for most wins in that category, a conspiracy, there's no point in blaming the Pentagon or the NFL. The shortcomings of the 2024 Grammys fall squarely on the Recording Academy, which, in its love affair with the safe and the familiar, always seems to put pressure on performances and winners to surprise us. And this year the producers were not so lucky.
Except for a sassy speech from Jay-Z and a moving performance from Joni Mitchell (her first ever at the Grammys), things went so well during the three-plus hour ceremony that I found myself longing for the mess of the Grammys' past. Grammy, with her ramblings. speeches, flawed production concepts, political shouting, and passionate but sloppy sets. There's a reason ODB and then Kanye crashing onto the stage made history. Or that you remember Lizzo pulling out a flask and taking a big drink after losing song of the year, only to win album of the year minutes later. They were moments that embodied the rebellion and impulsivity that fuel the best popular music, whether hip-hop, rock or dance. That spontaneity was largely missing on Sunday despite all the formidable talent in the room.
Do not misunderstand. Tracy Chapman singing “Fast Car” with nominee Luke Combs was beautiful. So was Billie Eilish's performance of “What Was I Made For?”, her single from the movie “Barbie,” which won song of the year. But those moments alone weren't enough to inject adrenaline into the show.
Jay-Z managed to disrupt regular programming when he accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, an honor for Black music creators who have elevated the art form. He broke protocol by calling out the Recording Academy itself for continually snubbing black artists: He recalled how, in 1989, Will Smith and his musical partner DJ Jazzy Jeff boycotted the awards when they discovered that the new rap performance category would not be televised. . He added that when he was nominated for rap album in 1998, he “took a page out of his book” and decided not to attend when rapper DMX didn't receive any nominations.
“We want everyone to do well,” he said from the stage Sunday, accompanied by his daughter Blue Ivy. “We love you all. At least make it closer to right.” Then he talked about his wife, Beyoncé, as she watched from the audience. “She has more Grammys than everyone and she never won album of the year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn't work. Think about that: the most Grammy Awards. She never won album of the year. That does not work. Some of you will return home and feel like you have been robbed. Some of you may be robbed. “Some of you don’t belong in this category.” Some in the crowd gasped.
“When I get nervous,” he acknowledged, “I tell the truth.”
And, as Sunday's Grammys ultimately demonstrated, it was: No matter what you think of Beyoncé's work, Jay-Z underscored how difficult it has been, historically and currently, for the Recording Academy to embrace the work of artists black and feminine.
That's what made this year's overwhelming number of women nominees in major categories, many of them women of color, so exciting. Including seven of the eight album of the year nominees: SZA's “SOS,” Miley Cyrus' “Endless Summer Vacation,” Lana Del Rey's “Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” boygenius' “the record,” “The Age Of Pleasure” by Janelle Monáe, “Guts” by Olivia Rodrigo and “Midnights” by Swift.
There were other moments of truth besides Jay-Z: Joni Mitchell's quiet, soulful performance of “Both Sides Now,” with the 80-year-old mother of all confessional singers accompanied by Brandi Carlile on guitar; Billy Joel presents his first new song in 30 years; Celine Dion, in the midst of her fight against rigid person syndrome, appears to present the final award.
For the most part, though, the ceremony failed to convey the same uplifting image of music's future as the diverse crop of nominees. Instead, he was often as stale as Noah's jokes about the Los Angeles weather or asking Dr. Dre for a prescription for Ozempic. When even the host seems bored, a little chaos can go a long way.
