Patrick RyanUSA TODAY
For the first time in forever, it was a near-perfect night of Grammy Awards performances.
There was little fat to be found in Sunday’s star-studded roster of artists, which leaned heavily on music legends and popular singers burning up the charts. Folk titans Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman graced us with a pair of nostalgic emotional hits, and Miley Cyrus went a long way in cementing her icon status, exuding rock-star confidence and pizazz as she playfully performed “Flowers,” winner of two Grammys including record of the year.
Here are more of the best performances, ranked from worst to best, of Grammys night, where Taylor Swift made history and Trevor Noah hosted for a fourth time.
12. U2, 'Atomic City'
The Irish rockers were in fine voice for their truncated take on “Atomic City,” which was essentially an overlong intro for Bono to present best pop vocal album to Taylor Swift’s “Midnights.” More than anything, the pummeling performance served as a gaudy commercial for Las Vegas’ $2 billion music venue The Sphere, with swooping drone footage and enough quick cuts to give you motion sickness.
11. Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti, 'My Eyes,' 'I Know,' 'Fe!n'
Shortly after Jay-Z got in some incisive digs at the Recording Academy, Scott called out voters during his incendiary, chair-bashing performance. “They slept on me 10 times,” he rapped, referring to his 10 career Grammy nominations but zero wins. It was the most memorable moment of the rapper’s “Mad Max”-style medley, which was otherwise bogged down by murky visuals.
10. Burna Boy featuring 21 Savage and Brandy, 'On Form,' 'City Boys,' 'Sittin’ on Top of the World'
Burna Boy oozed charisma as he ran through an infectious medley with rapper 21 Savage and R&B chanteuse Brandy, accompanied by a vibrant ensemble of backup dancers and musicians. As the awards show dragged into its interminable third hour, the Nigerian singer was a much-needed dose of adrenaline.
9. Dua Lipa, 'Training Season,' 'Dance the Night,' 'Houdini'
The British pop sensation gave us everything Sunday night, opening the show with a red-hot, leather-and-latex-clad medley of hits “Dance the Night” and “Houdini,” along with teasing her sultry upcoming single “Training Session.” For any keyboard warriors still insisting that Lipa can’t dance, the singer put criticisms to bed with her athletic performance: hanging off a rotating cage and sliding across the floor against a dizzying backdrop of mirrors and pyrotechnics.
8. Billy Joel, 'Turn the Lights Back On'
The Piano Man deserved better. The legendary Joel closed out the telecast with wistful new track “Turn the Lights Back On,” along with his rollicking 1980 single “You May Be Right.” But the performances were unfairly sandwiched in between top awards for Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift at the end of the night, and many audience members were seen filing out during his second song. What should have been a highlight of this year’s awards felt more like an afterthought, at least in the eyes of the Recording Academy.
7. Olivia Rodrigo, 'Vampire'
Rodrigo brought “Carrie” to the Grammys telecast with a blood-soaked performance of her piercing single “Vampire.” Despite a somewhat shaky vocal start, the pop-punk hitmaker swiftly recovered as she belted out the dramatic number, dressed in a plunging crimson gown and smearing blood across her face while guts spilled from the flower backdrop behind her.
6. Fantasia Barrino, 'Proud Mary'
After a touching tribute to the late Tony Bennett by his friend Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox commanded the stage with a staggering take on “Nothing Compares 2 U,” calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war as she honored Sinead O’Connor with the Prince standard. Barrino, who auditioned for “American Idol” with Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary,” closed out the “in memoriam” segment with an electrifying spin on the song: shaking her hips with Dua Lipa as she ran through the rousing blues anthem.
5. SZA, 'Snooze,' 'Kill Bill'
SZA brought cinematic excellence to this year’s Grammys, donning a “Matrix”-style trench coat and wide-brimmed hat for the bewitching “Snooze,” flanked by overturned trash cans and burning dumpsters. But the performance really came alive when she moved into smash single “Kill Bill,” paying spectacular homage to the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film with sword-wielding dancers and acrobatic choreography, even “throwing” a man into the air in a delightful bit of stage magic.
4. Billie Eilish, 'What Was I Made For?'
Eilish stunned in a pink headscarf and green dress, re-creating a 1965 vintage Barbie look that she teased on her Instagram early Sunday. Accompanied by her brother Finneas on piano, the 22-year-old delivered an elegant and haunting rendition of her Oscar-nominated “Barbie” ballad, which grapples with depression and self-worth. Ever since her career exploded five years ago, Eilish has established herself as one of our most reliably captivating live performers, and her gorgeous showing Sunday was no exception.
3. Miley Cyrus, 'Flowers'
Keeping with the night’s theme of “less is more,” Cyrus brought old-school glamor to her first televised performance of the chart-topping “Flowers,” joyfully dancing in place and shimmying across the stage as she showed off the gravelly and glorious power of her voice. “Why are you acting like you don’t know this song?” Cyrus asked midverse, inspiring audience members including Chrissy Teigen and Kylie Minogue to dance at their tables. The dynamic singer effortlessly channeled Tina Turner with a silver-tassel dress and hair teased sky high, throwing down her microphone in a “Proud Mary”-style encore.
2. Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs,'Fast Car'
The Grammys’ worst-kept secret also proved to be one of the night's best moments. After days of speculation that Chapman would join Combs on stage to play her classic 1988 song, the folk singer made a rare appearance at Sunday’s show for a simple yet deeply affecting performance. Dressed down in jeans and a black button-up, Chapman played acoustic guitar and graciously traded verses with the gruff country vocalist. The two smiled at each other as nominees Taylor Swift and Brandi Carlile looked on lovingly from the crowd.
1. Joni Mitchell, 'Both Sides Now'
Nearly a decade after suffering a brain aneurysm, Mitchell, 80, made her triumphant debut Grammys performance seated in a satin armchair and surrounded by chandeliers as she gently sang her signature tune, “Both Sides Now.” Her delivery was delicate yet matter-of-fact. She brought A-list attendees Beyoncé and Meryl Streep to tears as she harmonized beautifully with friend Brandi Carlile. It was a stirring performance of an all-time great song – one that will go down as one of the very best moments in Grammys history.
