Member Since: 12/5/2008
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Entertainment Weekly grades the Grammys performance
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,2033...0675_5,00.html
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BEYONCÉ
The just-minted winner of the Song of the Year trophy made her first stage appearance of the night (she passed up accepting the award in person in order to prepare) in full woman-warrior gear — studs, corset, black leather — to sing I am ... Sasha Fierce’s gender-twisting ballad ''If I Were a Boy.'' And the message carried over: The back-up dancers — dressed in their best ''if I were a stormtrooper'' get-ups — were all male, but her band was, as always, ladies only. Queen B delivered a passionate, melisma-filled performance, breaking midway through into the original woman-scorned anthem, Alanis Morrissette's ''You Oughtta Know'' before returning to a hair-whipping, stage-pounding coda of ''Boy.'' Sasha? Fierce. Grade: A-
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LADY GAGA and ELTON JOHN
She opened the telecast with a version of ''Poker Face'' that was just slightly Gaga-by-numbers — until her musclebound dancers shoved her into the ''Fame Factory'' stage set's fiery ''rejected'' pit, and an all-time great Grammy performance began for real. When Gaga re-emerged, she was sitting at a piano across from the mighty Elton John, with matching soot smears and sequined shades. Together they nailed her power ballad ''Speechless,'' plus a brief taste of his ''Your Song.'' ''I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words how wonderful life is with Gaga in the world,'' sang Sir Elton. Agreed! Grade: A-
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PINK
The trapeze acrobatics, the revealing outfit — it might have wowed first-time viewers, but we couldn't help feeling we'd seen Pink do this routine far more memorably (at last year's VMAs, for one). ''Glitter in the Air,'' a mopey album cut from 2008's Funhouse, ultimately just wasn't enough song to hold our interest. Grade: C+
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GREEN DAY
Broadway babies met multiplatinum gutter punks in Green Day’s rousing performance of “21 Guns” (from '09's 21st Century Breakdown) with the cast of American Idiot, the new stage musical named for the band’s monster 2004 album. A little bit Glee and a lot bit Rent, but still rock ’n’ roll. The three female vocalists were on-point, and added a fresh dynamic to a song that's already seen many awards-show runs this year — though guitarist Mike Dirnt looked perhaps the least comfortable with the drama-kid razzle-dazzle of it all. Grade: B+
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BLACK EYED PEAS
The song was ''Imma Be,'' the fourth single from 2009's massive (and seemingly unstoppable) The E.N.D. — though they already ''be'' winners tonight, having picked up three trophies during the earlier, untelevised part of the ceremony. The song was more spoken then sung, but an inevitable segue into smash ''I Gotta Feeling'' found the foursome pogoing happily into their party-starter comfort zone. Revelatory? Hardly. But as these Peas go, pretty solid. Grade: B
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TAYLOR SWIFT and STEVIE NICKS
For all her undeniable songwriting skills and relatable star power, Taylor has never been a powerhouse live vocalist. Her opening number, ''Today Was a Fairytale,'' reminded us of that unfortunate fact. So it was a blessing when Stevie Nicks, still in fine voice after all these years, came out to duet — first on Fleetwood Mac's ''Rhiannon,'' then a fun honky-tonk version of Swift's ''You Belong With Me.'' Still not the Grammys' highest moment by a long shot, but give Stevie credit for just about saving this one. Grade: C+
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