Remembering Memorable Music Performances at the Grammys

25 Million New & Used CDs / Vinyl Records

Music Forum

My Account / Login

Remembering Memorable Music Performances at the Grammys
by Alexis Andrews - December 1, 2008

Eminem and Elton John in an unlikely duet of Stan

Any good live performance I see in person or on television never fails to provoke me to go to the record stores. If an artist performs live as good as – or better than – he or she does in a studio recording, then that’s enough reason to convince me to buy CDs or music albums or shell out extra cash to acquire vinyl LPs. Concerts, “unplugged” shows, promotional tours, awards nights: performances in events like these showcase artists, bands, and musicians at their best. And where might one watch the best be at their best? The Grammys, of course. This is where music professionals can validate the acclaim, recognition and commercial and critical success they get. Now, let me recall my five favorite music performances at the Grammy Awards.

Michael Jackson sings “Man in the Mirror”. Remember MJ? Long before the lawsuits and the baby cradling episodes, Jackson was a perennial hit maker and one of the world’s top musical performers. In the 1988 Grammy Awards, he performed “Man in the Mirror”, a midtempo single which was officially released by Epic Records and was nominated for Record of the Year. It was also the fourth number one Michael Jackson single from the Bad album. MJ’s performance, needless to say, was spine-tingling.

Prince and Beyonce steal the scene at the 2004 Grammy Awards. Like Jackson, Prince is one of the world’s most electrifying and magnetic live performers. And the 1984 Grammy-winning, Oscar-winning Prince album, Purple Rain, released by WarnerBros, is one of the best albums ever in pop/ rock history. Prince performed a searing Purple Rain medley at the 2004 Grammy awards, with a purple guitar and top-notch crooning. He was joined later on stage by the sizzling Beyonce for a duet. She sang her hit single “Dangerously in Love”.

Eminem and Elton John team up to perform Stan. Eminem is considered by many as one of the greatest hip hop rappers ever, and the 2000 Eminem single “Stan” from the Marshall Mathers LP (under the Aftermath/ Interscope label) is listed as #290 on Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. But critics labeled Eminem and his rap lyrics as anti-gay. In the 2001 Grammy Awards, however, Eminem made it clear that he harbored no feelings of homophobia: he teamed up with legend Elton John for a duet of this number 1 hip-hop single.

Coldplay performs Politik at the 2003 Grammys. I was blown away by the Coldplay album A Rush of Blood to the Head when it was first released in 2002 by Capitol. It was sheer musical genius. “Politik”, the album’s epic opener, was haunting, cynical, and – most of all – dramatic. In the 2003 Grammys, Coldplay delivered an even more dramatic rendition of the song, what with a symphony orchestra as accompaniment and Christ Martin’s voice almost cracking with raw emotion: a magical performance, something which I wouldn’t hesitate to say is better than the recorded version.

Eric Clapton sings Tears in Heaven. Eric Clapton had lost his four-year-old son to a freak condominium accident in 1991, and that was when he wrote the tear-jerker “Tears in Heaven”. The ballad was released in 1992 and was also included in the 1993 Eric Clapton album, Unplugged by WarnerBros. In the 1994 Grammys, Clapton delivered a heart-wrenching rendition of Tears in Heaven. Later that year he decided to stop playing it – which makes the performance even more memorable.

Subscribe to Latest Articles

Recent Postings

New Music Releases – November 24, 2009 - Nov 24

New Music Releases – November 17 - Nov 16

New Music Releases – November 10, 2009 - Nov 9

New Music Releases – November 3, 2009 - Nov 2

New Music Releases - October 27, 2009 - Oct 27

New Music Releases - October 20, 2009 - Oct 19

Happy 40th Birthday To Abbey Road - Oct 1

New Music Releases – September 29, 2009 - Sep 29

Ask Mr. Music - September 29, 2009 - Sep 29

Bird and Animal Names In Rock and Roll History-part thirty-two - Sep 27

Categories

Recent Postings

Recent Comments