Young Meets Old at 2011 Grammy Awards

Photo: "The best part about last night for me was Sharing the stage with my two good friends @JanelleMonae and @bobatl It was Truly an Honor," Tweets Bruno Mars about the 2011 Grammys.
 

The 2011 Grammy Awards kicked off with a lineup of modern pop heavyweights – Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch (of Florence + the Machine) and Jennifer Hudson among others – took to the stage to honour Aretha Franklin, performing the ailing diva’s classic, Ain’t No Way.

It was the first of several acts during the three-and-a-half-hour show that paid tribute to hits and superstars from decades past. The theme of contemporary music meeting the classics was a common one, although viewers were no doubt also surprised by the string of award upsets that took place.

Montreal indie band Arcade Fire beat out the likes of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Eminem to win Album of the Year for their 2010 record, The Suburbs.

Country music trio Lady Antebellum also shocked viewers by overtaking the crowd-favourite, Eminem’s Love the Way You Lie, to win Song of the Year.

Arguably the biggest upset, however, came when the Best New Artist award was given to little-known jazz musician Esperanza Spalding. (See Bieber fanatics attack Esperanza's Wikipedia page.) Popular acts Drake, Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons, and Florence + the Machine went home empty-handed.

But Bieber fans need not despair: the teen pop singer from Stratford, Ontario still had time to shine during his performance with Jaden Smith and his mentor, Usher. Bieber did a mash-up of his hits Baby and Never Say Never, while Usher sang his own 2010 single, OMG.

Did the dancing ninjas, which also appeared onstage during the performance, help to sway sceptical viewers? We’ll let you decide.

Another noteworthy moment came when The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons joined Bob Dylan to perform his 1965 classic, Maggie’s Farm. Dylan is looking (and sounding) fairly ancient these days – but to the classic rock enthusiasts watching, that was just a detail.

Mick Jagger was also on hand for a different homage. He sang a lively version of Solomon Burke’s Everybody Needs Somebody to Love in tribute to the musician, who passed away this year. Jagger, forever a showman in his blue blazer and skinny jeans, proved that he can serve up rock and roll as well as ever.

The awards show had no shortage of today’s chart-toppers, either. Lady Gaga, in a relatively simple gold dress, debuted her new single, Born this Way, while Rihanna hit the stage with Drake for What’s My Name?

Cee-Lo Green also came on for the night’s most bizarre performance, singing the Grammy-nominated Forget You while dressed in a suit of peacock feathers and body armour. Gwyneth Paltrow joined in before an army of muppets quickly surrounded the duo. Don’t ask – we don’t quite understand, either.

Even with the slip-ups and the upsets, the 2011 Grammy Awards ultimately reminded viewers one thing: the year is young, and many more months of hits and tributes, as always, still lay ahead.

Speaking of slip-ups, we're also wondering what happened here: