The Journal staff takes on the Grammys.
Rock music seemed to make a comeback at the Grammy’s this year with the Foo Fighters taking home five awards. In his acceptance speech, frontman Dave Grohl emphasized the importance of learning to play from the soul, saying that music doesn’t have to sound perfect or come from the work of a computer. But then, despite his comments, he played alongside EDM stars like Deadmau5 and David Guetta. Electronica-rock hybrid acts, like Skrillex and Deadmau5, were the real winners this year, exploding onto the popular music scene by cutting popular rock’s ties to the guitar and instead creating their sound from a computer. While the rise of techno-rock may be dismaying to fans of classic guitar rock, at least they can take comfort in knowing that Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga didn’t win anything this year.
-Ally Thibault, asst. A&E
What occurred on the Internet during and after the 54th Grammy Awards was further proof that the upcoming generation is doomed if they don’t get their act together. Between the social media updates endorsing and encouraging Chris Brown’s domestic violence and the tweets questioning who Paul McCartney was, I was wildly discouraged. It’s a sick and twisted thing to see such support for a physical abuse and eye-opening to see how quickly people forget about something they were so livid about in the not-so-distant past. Plus, if you are knowledgeable enough to tweet, you should know who the hell Paul McCartney is. End of story.
-Derek Anderson, managing editor
I didn’t watch the whole show, but I was glad to see a great performance by Sir Paul McCartney. I was equally horrified to see how many people on Twitter didn’t even know who he was. Speaking of Twitter, all those girls saying “Chris Brown can hit me any time.” Disgusting. Also, Born This Way should have one Album of the Year. It approaches a number of important issues like being comfortable with who you are (Born This Way) and the moment right before death (Edge of Glory), and was eclectic in its music styles.
-Jeff Fish, editor-in-chief
Skrillex winning three Grammys?! Sweet way to rep electronic music, especially from an American artist. I am kind of sad to see him as the only winning representation of EDM; although dubstep is definitely blowing up, what about trance, electro and all the subgenres of house music that haven’t been acknowledged? But the fact that deadmau5 and David Guetta were highlighted, even though they’re mainstream now, leaves me and other die-hard EDM fans anxious to see who can work their way in next year.
-Angela Bray, A&E editor
The Grammys started off with a bang having Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band open the show, with that momentum carrying on through the rest of the night. The award show did a fine job paying homage to the greats of the past, with The Beach Boys reuniting, Paul McCartney performing some timeless hits and new songs and of course the tribute to late singer Whitney Houston. That doesn’t mean the modern artists were showed up however, with Adele owning the night, winning a record six awards. I did feel that Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj went a bit over the top with their appearances last night. While both artists are known for their ability to capture the public eye with their outfits, there’s a line between innovative and just plain out there. Overall, the night was certainly an entertaining one and with Adele’s record setting night and the Beach Boys reunion alone, this is one that will be remembered for some time.
-Alex Hall, sports editor
