{"id":482078,"date":"2019-02-11T06:47:30","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T13:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=793032"},"modified":"2019-02-11T06:47:30","modified_gmt":"2019-02-11T13:47:30","slug":"grammys-2019-the-ladies-step-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/music-news\/grammys-2019-the-ladies-step-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Grammys 2019: The Ladies Step Up"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dua Lipa<\/a> had the funniest line at this year\u2019s Grammys, right after she won the award for Best New Artist<\/a>. After noting all her fellow female nominees, Dua quipped, \u201cI guess this year we\u2019ve really stepped up!\u201d It was the first time all night anyone dared to mention last year\u2019s big controversy, when Grammy president Neil Portnow suggested women in the music world needed to \u201cstep up\u201d to get on his level. There was something deliciously sadistic about the way Dua twisted the knife. But last night\u2019s Grammy bash turned into a celebration of female artists all over the musical map, from Album of the Year winner Kacey Musgraves<\/a> to legends like Diana Ross<\/a> and Dolly Parton<\/a>. As host Alicia Keys<\/a> asked Michelle Obama at the start, \u201cWho runs the world?<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

No, Beyonc\u00e9 didn\u2019t show up. Neither did Ariana Grande, who pulled out<\/a> of the Grammys last week, or Lorde, who didn\u2019t get the chance to sing last year. Neither did Taylor Swift, who had last year\u2019s top-selling album with Reputation<\/em>, yet got exactly as many Grammy nominations as the Grateful Dead or the Alan Parsons Project, and wisely ditched this clambake to hang out in London and play American queen at a different award show. But the Grammys belonged to Dolly and Cardi and Camilla and Kacey and Gaga and Dua and Janelle and Miss Ross.<\/p>\n

The night was full of memorable music moments, which is what the Grammys are all about. Yeah, I know you like getting self-righteous every year about who wins the trophies, but I know for a fact you won\u2019t remember or care next week, whereas we will all go to our graves remembering Lady Gaga<\/a>\u2019s triumphant freakout<\/a> on \u201cShallow.\u201d She went all the way glam-punk, strutting and kicking in an absurd glitter catsuit, going way past the edge of glory and diving into the deep end. Damn, I missed this Gaga. Instead of letting some dude sing the Bradley Cooper intro, Gaga just bellowed away in her Jo Calderone voice, ending with that sicko-mode leer into the camera. As Halsey would say, \u201cHow great!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson stole the #GRAMMYs<\/a> show with a rocked-up performance of their A Star Is Born breakout hit \u201cShallow\u201d https:\/\/t.co\/RRqoPKkxo6<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/knar7FqsqI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) February 11, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And for comedy, there was Jennifer Lopez<\/a>, who gave one of the absolute rock-bottom worst performances in Grammy history. Her Motown medley triggered horrific flashbacks of Sanjaya<\/a> on American Idol\u2019<\/em>s Diana Ross Week. Seeing a Jackson Maine-size disaster like that at the Grammys made you pray Andrew Dice Clay would come onstage to carry her into a cold shower. How did this happen? Diana Ross was in the room<\/em>. So was Smokey Robinson. So were Ashanti and Bob Newhart and Weird Al Yankovic, all of whom were better equipped to sing \u201cPapa Was a Rolling Stone\u201d on live TV. What a way to treat the greatest of American songbooks. (Guess you could call it a \u201ctribute,\u201d kinda like the Roman Empire\u2019s tribute to Carthage.) Smokey deserves a do-over. But give J. Lo credit \u2014 it\u2019s an achievement to win the Most Vocally Challenged honors in a show that includes a Red Hot Chili Peppers jam<\/a> with Post Malone.<\/p>\n

Alicia Keys rose to the occasion like a one-woman army of stoner moms, in a very Rhoda Morgenstern ensemble. Alicia came on dazed and confused, especially when she sat at the piano and said, \u201cI wanna welcome you to Club Keys.\u201d She did a rambling medley<\/a> of her favorites \u2014 \u201cI wish I wrote \u2018em\u201d \u2014 from standards (\u201cKilling Me Softly,\u201d \u201cUnforgettable\u201d) to Coldplay\u2019s \u201cClocks,\u201d Kings of Leon\u2019s \u201cUse Somebody\u201d and Ella Mai\u2019s \u201cBoo\u2019d Up.\u201d Unfortunately, she ended with the smarmiest song she\u2019ll ever write, the \u201cconcrete jungle wet dream tomato\u201d one, but the medley proved she\u2019s the new Billy Crystal \u2014 maybe next year the whole show will be six hours of Club Keys?<\/p>\n

Dolly Parton stole the night<\/a> \u2014 but how would she not? Every second of the Dolly tribute was choice. BTS in the audience, dancing and singing along to \u201cJolene.\u201d Kacey Musgraves belting \u201cHere You Come Again\u201d in her fab Loretta-circa-1975 wig. Miley Cyrus and Maren Morris joining Dolly for a gorgeously breathtaking version of Neil Young\u2019s \u201cAfter the Gold Rush,\u201d censoring the \u201cgetting high\u201d lyric (not a very Miley edit, but she\u2019s just being Miley) in what felt like an elegy for the late, great Pegi Young.<\/a><\/p>\n

Diana Ross did a none-more-diva medley of two ballads nobody seemed to recognize, wandering into the crowd to sing directly to her old Motown mentor Berry Gordy, giving a Diana-lanche of inspirational speeches. \u201cTogether we have no limits! No limits! There\u2019s only success ahead \u2014 and you can lead the way! Learn! Dream! Unlock new doors! All is possible with music and with youuuu<\/em>!\u201d At the end, she yelled, \u201cHappy birthday to me! Happy birthday to meeee<\/em>!\u201d Miss Ross\u2019 birthday is 43 days away (on March 26th). Bow down. I plan to spend Diana Ross\u2019 birthday writing her a letter of apology on behalf of the American people for letting that J. Lo medley happen on our watch. We failed Miss Ross, everyone.<\/p>\n

Travis Scott<\/a> performed wearing a Rush tour T-shirt, proving that he\u2019s a New World Man whose mind is not for rent by any god or government. Is this the closest Rush has ever gotten to an actual Grammy? Quite possibly \u2014 here\u2019s to glittering prizes and endless compromises that shatter the illusion of integrity. Travis performed in a cage \u2014 inevitably evocative of 21 Savage<\/a>, although it looked more like the mise-en-scene of the Scorpions\u2019 \u201cRock You Like a Hurricane\u201d video<\/a>. Travis did \u201cStop Trying to Be God\u201d (with James Blake and Earth Wind & Fire) before blasting into \u201cNo Bystanders.\u201d\u201cSicko Mode\u201d always reminds me<\/a> of \u201cCygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres,\u201d but perhaps Travis is an even bigger Geddy-head than anyone thought.<\/p>\n

People like to complain about the Grammys\u2019 trademark surprise collabos, just because we need things to grouse about, but it\u2019ll be tough to keep making those complaints after the Dua Lipa\/St. Vincent throwdown, a brilliant coup<\/a> for both artists, and one that could have happened only<\/em> at the Grammys. They did Vincent\u2019s \u201cMasseducation\u201d and Dua\u2019s \u201cOne Kiss,\u201d along with a snippet of Aretha\u2019s \u201cRespect.\u201d It was a grrrl-punk edition of David Bowie fellating Mick Ronson\u2019s guitar. Somewhere out there, Bowie was weeping tears of joy.<\/p>\n

Kacey sang \u201cRainbow\u201d<\/a> in Sesame Street<\/em> mode \u2014 not necessarily a highlight of Golden Hour<\/em>, her well-deserved Album of the Year winner, but then songs about rainbows tend to evoke frogs<\/a>. Camila Cabello did a lavish \u201cHavana,\u201d<\/a> bringing in Young Thug, J. Balvin and Ricky Martin, who became an overnight sensation 20 years ago when he stole the 1999 Grammys with \u201cLa Copa de la Vida<\/a>.\u201d Cardi B did a fantastic \u201cMoney,\u201d dolled up like Prince in Under the Cherry Moon<\/em>. When she won Best Rap Album, she joked, \u201cMaybe I need to start smoking weed.\u201d (Perhaps Alicia could hook you up?) Brandi Carlisle did \u201cThe Joke,\u201d the show\u2019s most touchingly Springsteen-esque moment, while Janelle Monae rocked \u201cMake Me Feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

21 Savage somehow went all but unmentioned<\/a>, which was kind of shocking \u2014 especially since he appeared on the Record and Song of the Year, Childish Gambino\u2019s \u201cThis Is America.\u201d 21 was scheduled to play the Grammys up until a week ago, when he got thrown into a hellhole ICE detention center<\/a> in Georgia. But his fellow artists didn\u2019t say his name, not even in the speeches where people babbled, \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d Not even his buddy Drake.<\/a> The exception was Childish\u2019s Swedish producer, Ludwig G\u00f6ransson, who simply said \u201c21 Savage should be here right now\u201d \u2014 and got cut off by the exit music.<\/p>\n

Grammys 2019: The Complete Winners List<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ariana might have refused to appear, but her new album kept popping up in the TV ads, so she got to Statler and Waldorf the show all night from afar. Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys was in the house. Eve and Swizz Beatz co-presented, a touching reunion for the Ruff Ryders class of \u201999, though unfortunately neither remembered to shout out to DMX, who just got back on the streets a free man after serving a year for tax fraud. (Get at me, dog!<\/a>) Black Sabbath and George Clinton got lifetime achievement awards \u2014 too bad we didn\u2019t get to hear J. Lo sing \u201cSymptom of the Universe.\u201d Neil Portnow, Mr. Punks Step Up to Get Beat Down, gave himself a retirement tribute that lasted six times longer than Smokey Robinson got to sing, complete with tearful video testimonials. Hey, he must be a swell guy \u2014 has Celine Dion ever been wrong?<\/p>\n

The In Memorian loop was poignant, even if they forgot the Buzzcocks\u2019 Pete Shelley<\/a>. (Damn, I didn\u2019t know about Otis Rush or the Crystals\u2019 Barbara Alston \u2014 R.I.P. to both.) The great Wah Wah Watson was evoked by the sound of his guitar on\u201cLove\u2019s Theme,\u201d by Barry White\u2019s Love Unlimited Orchestra, the most scandalous wah-wah creaking-mattress sex noise<\/a> of the disco era. The In Memoriam segment ended, of course, with Aretha Franklin. At the 1998 Grammys, when Pavarotti got a sore throat and couldn\u2019t sing, Aretha went on in his place and sang the Puccini aria \u201cNessun Dorma\u201d \u2014 on 20 minutes notice. No rehearsal, no warm-up, no problem. That\u2019s a legend who will go on inspiring artists and fans forever. Who runs the world?<\/p>\n

via:: Rolling Stone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dua Lipa had the funniest line at this year\u2019s Grammys, right after she won the award for Best New Artist. After noting all her fellow female nominees, Dua quipped, \u201cI guess this year we\u2019ve really stepped up!\u201d It was the first time all night anyone dared to mention last year\u2019s big controversy, when Grammy president […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-482078","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-13 22:39:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KQZR - The Reel","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482078\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}