Even in the years when the Grammys seemed predictable, they rarely are — anyone remember Soy Bomb?
And at a time when all bets already seemed to have gone unprecedented, in recent days we’ve seen Kanye West being kicked out of performances — although sources say talks with him, as well as Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and others are yet to come ongoing – Foo Fighters cancel their scheduled performance due to the tragic and untimely death of drummer Taylor Hawkins on March 25; and of course, Will Smith’s Around the World forever changed the way organizers approach major awards shows. So we’re going into the Grammy weekend with a spirit of optimism that seems to be spreading to the show’s organizers as well.
“This is live television. Anything can happen and usually does,” Jack Sussman, executive vice president of specials, music and live events at CBS, told Variety earlier this week. “We will be ready.”
The headlines surrounding the Grammys have at times overshadowed what will happen on the show itself: Confirmed performers for the ceremony – which will be broadcast live on CBS on Sunday at 8pm ET / 5pm PT from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas – including Olivia Rodrigo, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Silk Sonic, BTS, Jon Batiste, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, John Legend, Carrie Underwood, J Balvin with Maria Becerra and more including Justin Bieber with Daniel Caesar and Giveon who became Announced minutes after this article was first published.
There will also be a tribute to Hawkins, although plans for that are still afoot. “We’re going to honor his memory in a way,” Sussman says. “We want to figure out what’s the right thing to do that’s respectful of everyone involved. We plan to the end.”
By early January, the Grammys were in full swing for an originally scheduled Jan. 31 date at their longtime home, the Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) in Los Angeles, with all but one act booked and many production plans in advanced stages.
But then came the Omicron variant, and sources say several nominated artists told organizers they didn’t feel comfortable performing.
“We were excited about what we were planning and we were ready to go,” says Raj Kapoor, this year’s Grammy showrunner (Ben Winston is joining an executive producer). “But then we got into a similar situation as last year.”
He’s referring to the unprecedented 2021 show, which was also originally scheduled for January 31 with a full house, but ultimately had to be pared down to a tastefully intimate, mostly outdoor ceremony in March at the LA Convention Center — with just one Audience of cast, presenters, crew and a handful of guests.
While the Omicron wave quickly receded, the show will essentially be a regular Grammys with a live audience and is therefore a drastically more difficult and complicated operation.
With the Grammys requiring a nearly two-week venue lockout, busy sports and concert schedules at all Los Angeles arenas meant the next available window wasn’t until June — an impractically long delay for an annual show. After considering several options, the Recording Academy decided to move 270 miles east to the slightly smaller MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, which has been home to the Latin Grammys for many years.
“There was a lot of contact between artists, labels and management,” says Kapoor. “But people have moved heaven and earth to come – although it took them time to find out, because remember, it’s not just one day: our rehearsals start on Thursday and go through to dress rehearsal on Sunday. After everything that has happened in recent years, everyone involved has a huge willingness to perform.”
While the Grammys have a long-term contract with the Crypto.com Arena, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. emphasizes that the venue and its owner, AEG, “have been very collaborative – they’re long-term partners and they understand the position in which we find ourselves.”
Finding the silver lining, Kapoor continues, “Two more months ahead of schedule we wanted to welcome being in town and a number of the artists have residencies in Vegas,” most obviously the multi-nominated Lady Gaga and Silk Sonic. “A couple of them bring the best of their Vegas shows to our space – and a very well nominated artist decided to change their song because the show is in Vegas, a complete 180 from what was planned.”
Kapoor also reveals that more niche music genres will receive airtime via off-venue rooftop performances that will serve as bumpers for commercials during the main show. And there will also be a moment similar to last year’s acclaimed spotlight on closed music venues, with staff from clubs across the country presenting awards – but this year the focus will be on the touring industry.
“We want to shed light on the support staff who are so instrumental in getting shows on the road and keeping them going, and the large number of people who have been unemployed in recent years,” says Kapoor. He declined to give details but said the spotlight will be different than last year. “We want to show that it takes a whole village to create these amazing concert experiences.”
While moments during the show acknowledging the pandemic and Ukraine are possible, show host Trevor Noah insists he doesn’t view the kinds of comments he makes on “The Daily Show” as part of his role. “I try to keep it as natural as possible — I’m not going to try to squeeze anything into the show to try and use a theme to make it about the moment or me,” he tells Variety. “People think I live my life 24/7 and only talk about politics and news, but I love a variety of things. Doing this show is not unlike a racer who gets to ride a motorcycle for a weekend,” he laughs.
And of course there is the elephant in the room. Just two weekends before the Grammys, Kanye West’s team announced that although he’s competing for five awards, he’s been banned from the show because of his “worrying online behavior.” West’s recent social media targets have included Noah himself (West used a racial slur to describe the host) as well as Pete Davidson, who is dating West’s estranged wife Kim Kardashian. That alone is cause for reluctance on the part of a television network, not to mention more than a decade of controversial incidents and statements suggesting that a performance by such an unpredictable artist would be prohibitively problematic, no matter what ratings the show would pull with him. (Representatives from Recording Academy, CBS, and Noah all declined requests for comment on the matter.) However, sources confirm to Variety that West will not be barred from attending the main show, the premiere ceremony (the pre-show event where television awards are not presented). lent) or on the red carpet, so maybe he does get his moment after all – with the producers’ mute button ready – and sources say talks about a performance have continued even after the invitation was withdrawn.
Ironically, West was one of the many artists who have reached out to Mason and the Academy in recent months to increase the organization’s diversity and relevance, especially given the ugly allegations of a “boys club” and insider trading that have surfaced following the abrupt layoff former CEO Deborah Dugan shortly before the 2020 awards ceremony and after The Weeknd was shockingly banned from all 2021 nominations. (Dugan and the Academy settled their legal dispute last year; the Academy quickly eliminated the “secret” nominating committees believed to have been responsible for Weeknd’s expulsion.)
“I think there’s a lot of things that you’re going to see on Grammy night that reflect the work that we’ve put in – although I don’t think we’re going to be hopping and celebrating because there’s still a lot of work to do to do,” says Mason. “I’ve talked to a lot of artists and heard a lot of good reactions to what we’re doing, and a lot of people who are very critical. But remember, there’s only so much I can do: when members want things to go a certain way, our system changes. So when I hear 10 things from an artist that they think could be better, I ask, “Are you a member?” And if they say no, I say, “Would you be willing to join so you can help me make these.” Fixing things?” Some have said yes and even written suggestions and are actively and intentionally working to make changes that we have talked about – and that is a direct impact of an artist on our academy.”
While Noah posted a note on Twitter suggesting that he object to the move to ban West from the performance (“I said advise Kanye don’t cancel Kanye”), he praised Mason’s openness to change. “Harvey didn’t dismiss it, even as I did [asked about the Weeknd last year],” he says. “He said, ‘You know what, Trevor, we gotta spice things up, man, we gotta get better.’ I hope they continue to improve the nomination and voting process.”
Sums up Mason, “The new Academy looks different, moves differently and reacts differently, and I think that will be reflected on stage and elsewhere during Grammy week.”
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