As of late, the Grammys seem to have shifted from awards ceremony to live concert experience, as performances move to the front and drive the tedious event home.
With little regard for whom the actual winners were, stars such as Robin Thicke and Chicago, P!nk's Cirque du Soleil acrobatics and Daft Punk (featuring Stevie Wonder!) brought audiences both there and at home to a frenzy with their, umm, idiosyncratic performances.
A more touching spectacle took place during the in memoriam segment--initiated by the first few bars of Lang Lang's Tchaik--despite misspelling Corey Monteith's name and excluding other revered names.
Earlier this week, I told you Classicalites about Lang Lang joining forces with thrash pioneers Metallica. "One" surely wasn't disappointed with the Chinese superstar's deft piano runs weaving through Kirk Hammett's face-melting solos.
And although the infusing of classical with pop's biggest night wasn't exactly pitch perfect--the importance of "relevance" in a mainstream sense is essential to viewership--it was a nice respite to see an iconic metal band team up with a legitimate virtuoso.
That isn't to say, no, that other performances weren't also good. From Daft Punk in that control room backing Wonder to Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson's "Highway Man" reunion, most of the performances contributed to what would otherwise be considered the Grammy ordeal.
So, just in case you missed it, here is Lang Lang's "singular" performance last night with Metallica. And don't forget the pianist's latest release, Happy Chinese New Year, will be available for purchase on January 31--the real Chinese New Year.
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