Special Feature

They give out awards, but the true lure of the Grammys are the live performances. Sometimes incendiary, sometimes overblown, but rarely dull, these performances are what everyone will be taking about long after anyone can remember who won even the biggest trophies. With that in mind, here is a rundown of who owned the stage and who deserved a quick hook.

“Get On Your Boots” by U2: Bono and the boys new single doesn’t quite do it for me, seeming as it does a far-too-blatant rip on both “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Pump It Up.” But they’ve earned their opening-act status, and the instrumental breakdown at song’s end was a face-melter. B-

“Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green, Justin Timberlake, Boys 2 Men, and Keith Urban: Let me go on the record as saying that these multi-artist hook-ups rarely do it for me. For every one that actually works, there are ten more that are train wrecks. I personally thought Boys 2 Men had New Jack Swung into retirement, and Timberlake, though an affable enough fellow, gets far more exposure than his talent warrants. But they all wisely yielded to the Reverend here, and he responded with some rapturous vocals. B

“Lost” by Coldplay and Jay-Z/”Viva La Vida” by Coldplay: I’m not sure Jay’s rap about the perils of success during the first half quite fit the tenor of the times. But the second half of the medley is a pretty unassailable pop marvel, and Chris Martin gets points for a brief shout-out to The Boss. Maybe he’s angling for next year’s Super Bowl spot. B+

“Last Name” by Carrie Underwood: You have to hand it to Underwood. She’s not afraid to toy with her image as a pristine country princess, and she absolutely tore this wild-night-on-the-town opus to shreds. The performance was more grit and grime than Grand Ole Opry, and it was the right audience for it. B

“Amen/All Summer Long/Rock ‘N’ Roll Jesus” by Kid Rock: Rock is like the Lenny Kravitz of Southern rock: An expert aper of his elders who settles for imitation without trying to create something truly original. At the least he’s surrounded himself with a crack band that raises quite a ruckus to hide those flaws. C+

“Fifteen” by Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus: First of all, Swift is awful big to share the spotlight with Cyrus, since she deserves the credit for crafting such a sturdy ballad. But the duo pounded the song into submission with their sledgehammer harmonies, steamrolling over the details of the lyrics and the subtly affecting melody. C

“You Pulled Me Through” by Jennifer Hudson: Although Hudson deserves all the credit in the world for the bravery of her performance in what personally must be a difficult time , the treacly inspirational ballad she performed is one that would have had Simon Cowell questioning her song choice back in the day. C

“Burning Up/Superstitious” by The Jonas Brothers and Stevie Wonder: The best part of The Jonas Brothers summer hit was the effortless groove that it conjured. Of course, that was all buried under the bombast of the arrangement that was employed. And no fair putting it up against one of the funkiest songs to ever come down the pipe. But give Wonder credit for his gregariousness in looking after the youngsters. B-

“I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry: While she may have won over the Cinemax crowd, Perry is doing her career no favors by playing her songs off as tongue-in-cheek throwaways. And she looked like a trapeze artist who swung through a fruit stand. D

“American Boy” by Estelle and Kanye West: It’s funny that the song is credited to Estelle, because on stage, West took over with his relentless energy. The low-key vibe of the song was a nice change of pace, even if it was all a bit forgettable. B-

“Better As A Memory” by Kenny Chesney: Known as a hell-raiser and party animal, Chesney went and got all sensitive on us with the whole acoustic-and-strings ploy. And you know what? He pulled it off with surprising aplomb. B

“Swagga Like Us” by Kanye West, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, T.I., and M.I.A.: First of all, even though she seemed to be lip-synching, M.I.A. deserves credit for her guts to get on stage with her baby ready to drop. The rap summit didn’t really explode as the Grammy honchos probably hoped it would. T.I. took top honors with an emotional turn at the microphone as he prepares for his prison stint. B

“I Saw Her Standing There” by Paul McCartney and Dave Grohl: A little Beatle juice livens up any evening, even if the appearance by Grohl on drums seemed a bit superfluous. Still Sir Paul was in excellent voice and the genuine outpouring of affection from the stars all night long was heartwarming stuff. B+

“Stay” by Sugarland: Jennifer Nettles stunning portrait of a woman scorned seemed to catch the crowd off-guard and win converts through sheer intensity, even if Nettles performance veered toward the precious at times. B+

“Chasing Pavements” by Adele and Sugarland: A prime example of Grammy overkill: Adele deserved her moment in the sun, especially after a Best New Artist win earlier in the night. Instead, a Sugarland cameo was shoehorned into the performance for no good reason. B-

“15 Steps” by Radiohead: I waited all night for a performance to remember. Unsurprisingly, it was Radiohead that provided it. All the other acts seemed recessive in comparison. There was more energy in one Thom Yorke sneer than in just about everything else put together. I’d say they were too good for the Grammys, but that would be awful cynical of me, wouldn’t it? A

“Dead And Gone” by T.I. And Justin Timberlake: T.I.’s rapid-fire flow was impressive, but the song tried to shove emotion in everyone’s face rather that drawing it out naturally. It left a performance that was admirable but nothing too memorable. C+

“Reach Out (I’ll Be There)/Standing In The Shadows Of Love/I Can’t Help Myself” by Duke Fakir, Smokey Robinson, Ne-Yo, and Jamie Foxx: While no one could ever compare to the late Levi Stubbs’ overpowering vocals, this quartet, featuring Fakir as the last surviving member, provided a moving tribute to the Four Tops and one of the evening’s high points. A-

“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond: It is what it is. C

“Bo Diddley” by B.B. King, Buddy Guy, John Mayer, and Keith Urban: Two legends and two whippersnappers sink their teeth into that signature Diddley groove, but the song was a bit too short for any true six-string pyrotechnics to ignite. B

“Tie My Hands” by Lil Wayne and Robin Thicke, with instrumental by Allen Toussaint, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Terence Blanchard: Weezy’s lyrics, part heartbreak and part defiance, were the perfect lead-in to the New Orleans explosion at the end from some of the city’s finest musical heroes. This is the way a musical mash-up is supposed to work. A

“Rich Woman”/”Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)” by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: It’s a collaboration that never should have worked, but this live performance just shows what Raising Sand had already proven: That Krauss and Plant are unlikely musical soulmates whose voices capture a mystery and magic all too often lacking in modern music. A

“All About The Love Again” by Stevie Wonder: Even though he got cut off by CBS ads, Stevie sent home the crowd with an effortlessly uplifting pop gem. B+

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