by Dennis Nangle

Created on: February 09, 2009

I trust I'm not the only one who was thrown off by how relatively engaging this year's broadcast of the Grammys turned out to be. And I'm referring solely to the performances, of course. Because even though the bigwigs in charge of booking the performing talent got it right, the crusty Grammy voters are still battin' zero with their award recipients. The coveted golden Grammy most frequently wound up in the hands of the easy favorite that was voted by the academy based on audible buzz (ahem, Coldplay and Daft Punk); or Krauss and Plant got it. Don't get me wrong: the soft-spoken bluegrass singer and her formerly "twirly" partner created a fantastic album. But their multiple wins very clearly illustrated to us non-academy members (and therefore, actual radio-listening and album-buying constituents) that any attempts to appear up-to-date were made in vain. However, the frequency of the performances and concise nature the acceptance speeches made viewing the 51st Grammys generally enjoyable. Below are summaries and impressions of the 22 performances, listed in chronological order and written briefly, Twitter-style.

U2, "Get on Your Boots"
The lyrics plastered in a Lite Brite fashion were essentially helpful, since this was a brand new single from their upcoming album. That said, the overall performance was very typically U2, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, too much of a good thing can turn into a gimmick. PS- How very bizarre it was to see Bono sans his signature sunglasses!

Al Green, Justin Timberlake, et al., "Let's Stay Together"
Al Green will forever be a legend, and Justin more than held his own as a soulful engenue. Timberlake appeared a bit excessively awed, which detracted from a more appropriate, subtle performance. I forgive him of this minor flaw since he was filling in on super short notice due to the Chris Brown/Rihanna situation. If the alleged reports are true, the song choice initially intended for Brown to perform seems painfully ironic.

Coldplay feat. Jay-Z, "Lost!/Viva la Vida"
The introductory paragraph belies my negative presupposition for the foursome, but it can be confidently (and objectively) stated that Jay-Z stole the performance. His guest rap was flawlessly executed with passion and deliberance. It's terribly fitting that Coldplay structured their performance the way they did, as it symbolizes what they used to be and what they've become. What was once a humble all-about-the-music quartet has now become a thematically-costumed

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