LOS ANGELES — Fifty years of hip-hop, a record-breaking run by Beyoncé and a massive snub stopped the 65th Grammy Awards ceremony from turning music’s biggest night into its sleepiest during Sunday’s show at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena. .
Despite performances by some of pop’s most vibrant artists, energy and excitement were in short supply during the three-hour-plus show broadcast live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. The event marked the return of the Grammys to L.A. after a stint in Las Vegas last year, and an intimate, pared-down production in 2021 due to restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The award show’s return to downtown L.A., in a large venue and with a star-studded audience, should have been a coming out of sorts. A jubilant affair where the freedom of finally being able to watch music together again in a concert-like setting was honored with a lively, inventive and well-orchestrated production.
