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Monday, February 13, 2012

A Night at the Grammys: Whitney, Coldplay Wristbands and Collapsing Ice Sculptures

Grammys

It was the second-most watched Grammy Awards of all time (39 million viewers), and we were there in person to witness the show. The Grammys wisely ditched most of the awards years ago, and has become an event known for "wow" performances and interesting pairings. This year was no exception, led of course by Jennifer Hudson's emotional tribute to Whitney Houston. She nailed it.

Meanwhile, I'm starting to think it's us, not them. Every time the Foo Fighters perform at the Grammys, they play outside the Staples in front of fans. I get it -- inside the Staples is a mostly industry crowd, and jaded at that. But I wonder if it's a coincidence, or if the Foos will only agree to play the show if they can be outside.

Nicki Minaj? Um.

Best part of the show for people inside the Staples Center: As the Civil Wars performed in the middle of the floor, we all heard a loud THUD. Looking up, we could see that a massive ice sculpture had just crashed on the floor. The workers stood there for a beat, dazed over what had happened, and then raced to clean up the mess (and mop the floor). Turns out it was part of Katy Perry's performance. When she came on stage, there were three ice sculptures still standing -- and folks at home were probably wondering, why three?

It's hard to get good pics on your camera phone when you're in a dark, massive indoor stadium. But here are a few more shots from this Sunday's Grammys:

Grammys
Coldplay distributed 22,000 wristbands to attendees as they walked in the door. During a commercial break, we were instructed to wave our arms and wristbands in the air once they started lighting up. A microchip inside the bands must have been set off at the proper time... and here you go, a pretty neat sight to see inside the Staples Center.

Grammys
Coldplay performs. I saw negative reviews online, but in person I thought the Rihanna/Coldplay combo worked.

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Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys... not sure this tribute worked. Awkward covers by Maroon 5 and Foster the People.

Grammys
Kenny Loggins at the afterparty. Kicks off with "Danger Zone," followed by "Footloose." And then... "I'd like to play some new stuff for you now." Time to dash to the bar.

Grammys
At the end of the night, walking by the now-dark red carpet as workers dismantle the massive affair.

3 comments:

coldplay concerts tickets 2012 said...

It's was a joke. Coldplay borrows a couple riffs from computer love by Kraftwerk. They ask permission which I admire but It's kinda annoying that most people don't that.

Anonymous said...

Clive Davis probably had Whitney killed. Probably worth more dead than alive to the record company @ this point.

Chaka Kahn said as much on Piers Morgan.

It's a windfall of cash for the label. #followthemoney

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