Like all awards shows, the Grammys are having trouble re-establishing their importance. Tonight’s show, at 8pm on CBS, could be a game changer one way or the other. The show needs ratings. The question is, Will the audience be there?
Bad Bunny will open the show. His album sold millions and was very popular. But then the show will proceed without some big names on the stage. Beyonce and Taylor Swift will sit in the audience but not sing. Adele is supposed to sing, but her name has not appeared on any production sheets and she’s not at rehearsal. If she does perform, as I reported, it will be a surprise — to the audience, to the Grammys, and maybe to herself.
There’s a long tribute to the history of rap, plus a lot of other quasi-hip hop numbers. Country music will be represented by Luke Combs, Kacey Musgraves, and Brandi Carlile. Chris Stapleton is doing a segment with Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.
Madonna is making an appearance. She has to– she’s about to embark on a huge, expensive tour. It’s unclear if she’ll be live at the Crypto.com stadium or calling it in from Mars.
But where are all the big names? Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are in town, Cher lives here. So does Elton John part time. Over the weekend we’ve seen dozens of famous, familiar, and popular music stars almost none of which are on tonight’s show. It’s very puzzling. Why isn’t Stevie Nicks, for example, part of the Christine McVie tribute?
Stay tuned for updates…
