Grammys 2024: 34 Most Memorable Performances Of All Time

Yearly, the most important musicians on the earth collect beneath one roof to seek out out whether or not they’ve been honoured with the trade’s greatest accolade – a Grammy.

For us mere mortals, although, what will get us most excited are the A-list performances, with enormous stars gracing the stage to ship memorable, impactful and, at instances, outrageous renditions of their massive hits, within the hopes of being the stand-out star of the night.

With numerous choices to select from, we’ve picked 34 of the performances which have caught with us over the many years. Right here they’re from the earliest to the latest…

For a lot of music followers, this 1986 Grammys efficiency may have been their first time listening to the unmistakeable and incomparable reside vocals of Whitney Houston.

Not the very best awe-inspiring efficiency she’d give in her lifetime, after all, however this was a particular signal of promising issues to return.

Quick-forward eight years, and Whitney had change into one of many greatest stars on the planet, using an enormous wave of success after her look in The Bodyguard.

By the point the Grammys rolled round in 1994 (and, truly, for a few years following) there was no escaping this tune – however there’s additionally no beating it in its flawless reside kind.

Because the story goes, Luciano Pavarotti had initially been scheduled to carry out, however pulled out on the final minute on docs’ orders, leaving his good friend Aretha Franklin to step in as an alternative.

With restricted time to rehearse, the soul singer fully floored everybody together with her expertise on the evening.

It’s a rendition that shouldn’t work on any degree, however who might truthfully argue with these vocals?

The Evita movie and Ray Of Gentle album helped kickstart Madonna’s profession after a number of years of tasks that had been met with a lukewarm reception.

Ray Of Gentle went on to realize vital acclaim and large chart success, however the cherry on high was the queen of pop lastly profitable her first ever Grammy, and delivering this beautiful and surprisingly haunting efficiency on the evening.

A collaboration that nobody noticed coming, Eminem and Elton John made headlines the world over when the Your Track singer stepped in to switch Dido’s components on Stan.

The efficiency was thought of by many to be a response to critics who panned Eminem’s previous homophobic lyrics, notably as the 2 stood collectively in solidarity on the finish.

Nonetheless, nearly 20 years later, the rapper would nonetheless obtain criticism for his use of anti-LGBTQ language in his music…

This Girl Marmalade efficiency allowed every of the monitor’s 4 performers to get pleasure from their time within the highlight – full with all of the sequins, feathers and large hair it’s change into synonymous with – earlier than coming collectively as a four-piece.

As if there wasn’t sufficient expertise on stage already, they have been joined on stage first by Missy Elliott and finally its unique performer, Patti LaBelle, who taught these youthful artists a factor or two about excessive notes.

Everyone knows that when it got here to rising stars and new expertise, nobody had a greater eye than Prince, so it’s no shock that proper at first of Beyoncé’s solo profession, he selected her to carry out with him on the Grammys.

Evidently, this isn’t Beyoncé’s final look on this record.

Pay attention, everyone knows Madonna as an awesome pop star, however it’s not unfair to say that her sense of humour is one thing she’s… much less related to.

That’s why it was so nice to see her interacting with the Gorillaz on the Grammys in 2006, first crashing their efficiency of Really feel Good Inc earlier than launching into an brisk model of her hit, Hung Up.

It had been a troublesome time for The Chicks – then nonetheless recognized by their previous moniker – within the lead-up to their efficiency on the 2007 Grammys.

The group had been on the centre of an argument after they criticised then-President George W Bush and the Iraq conflict, resulting in them being shunned by the nation music scene and on the receiving finish of abuse and even loss of life threats.

Their defiant look on the 2007 Grammys noticed them handle the backlash head-on in Not Prepared To Make Good, and the group wound up turning into the evening’s massive winners, taking dwelling all 5 of the awards they’d been nominated for, together with “the large three”.

By the point Amy Winehouse’s Grammys efficiency got here round, the unhappy fact was that whereas everybody was speaking about her, it was hardly ever at the side of her songwriting skills or incomparable vocal talents.

Actually, her Grammys efficiency was aired reside over satellite tv for pc hyperlink, as she wasn’t granted a visa to journey to the US for the ceremony.

Nonetheless, with this efficiency, she managed to silence all of her critics, and remind everybody why she had change into one of many world’s most well-known individuals within the first place.

And as if duetting with Prince wasn’t sufficient, 4 years later Beyoncé was tasked with introducing the legendary Tina Turner, just for the 2 of them to carry out the traditional Proud Mary collectively.

Tina seemed completely thrilled to be sharing the stage with Beyoncé, whereas the Queen Bey actually held her personal subsequent to one in all her idols, whereas managing to not outshine her.

The stuff legendary duets are manufactured from. Additionally… what an excellent intro from Cher.

By the point she made her debut on the Grammys, Girl Gaga had already change into the most important star on the earth, so the stakes have been fairly excessive for her first ever efficiency there.

Did she handle to tug it off? Effectively, let’s see.

Ridiculous OTT introduction? Test. Big units? Test. A number of songs? Test. Superb outfit? Test. Casually performing with a musical legend, proving simply a few years into her profession that they have been already contemporaries? Test.

We’d say that’s an emphatic sure.

Pink’s followers had lengthy been conscious of fairly how a lot she put into her reside performances previous to her solo look on the Grammys stage, however in 2010, she made positive the world knew about it.

Singing the haunting ballad, Glitter In The Air, Pink first walked out into the group, earlier than performing air aerobics whereas hanging from the ceiling, all whereas belting together with the monitor.

In her lifetime, Whitney carried out on the Grammys on a number of events, every time bringing the home down together with her powerhouse vocals.

Her loss of life in 2012 got here simply 24 hours earlier than that yr’s ceremony, and it was would have been remiss for organisers to not pull collectively a tribute.

It was determined that Jennifer Hudson was the star with the vocal capabilities of doing Whitney justice, and with lower than a day to organize, we will’t think about how she might presumably have bettered this stirring efficiency.

Undeniably one of the stunning productions to ever grace the Grammys stage, Nicki Minaj actually raised eyebrows together with her debut efficiency on the awards present.

Having already arrived on the present on the arm of a person dressed because the pope, she started her set with a rap in a confessional sales space.

After a short quick movie, she then staged an exorcism reside on stage, culminating in her levitating to the roof, all in character as alter-ego, Roman Zolanski.

One other efficiency that hits even more durable when you realize the context behind it, the Grammys in 2012 marked Adele’s first reside efficiency after present process throat surgical procedure.

The world hadn’t heard her sing in a very long time, and fears started to rise about whether or not she’d ever be capable to match her previous vocal choices. Clearly, we needn’t have nervous.

The music world was nonetheless reeling from the shock launch of her self-titled visible album when Beyoncé took to the stage on the Grammys in 2014.

This time, she wasn’t there as a member of Future’s Little one, she wasn’t selling a tune from a movie, and he or she wasn’t anybody’s particular visitor.

She was standing on her personal two toes, and it felt like after years of being one of many world’s most well-known singers, she’d actually cemented her place as a famous person.

At a time when the controversy round equal marriage was nonetheless raging on in America, Macklemore determined to make use of his slot on the Grammys to make a daring assertion.

Performing his tune Identical Love, 33 {couples} of all completely different genders and sexualities gathered to tie the knot there after which (with Queen Latifah officiating, natch), earlier than Madonna appeared in full cowboy apparel to sing Open Your Coronary heart with a gospel choir.

Whereas on paper it feels like a clunky and even arguably insincere stunt, we battle to carry again tears each time we we re-watch this clip.

If you’re a singer who’s change into recognized for by no means exhibiting your face and standing in a nook while you carry out reside, how do you make an affect at a public spectacle like Grammys?

You usher in Maddie Ziegler, Kristen Wiig, a load of wigs and what seems to be the set of an episode of Hoarders, after all.

Greatest recognized for her elaborate and cartoonish efficiency model, Katy Perry stripped it proper again for her Grammys efficiency in 2015.

She carried out the lesser-known ballad By The Grace Of God, which discusses the suicidal emotions she felt in the direction of the tip of her marriage.

The efficiency was in help of victims of home violence and sexual abuse, with a brief message from Barack Obama in help of the #ItsOnUs marketing campaign enjoying shortly beforehand.

And speaking about making a press release on the Grammys stage… wow.

Whereas that yr’s determination to award Taylor Swift Album Of The Yr over Kendrick Lamar might have been controversial in 2016, his was the efficiency that had everybody speaking that yr.

Simply watch it to see what we imply.

Girl Gaga managed to squeeze in a whopping 10 of David Bowie’s iconic hits into her tribute, a efficiency that divided opinion.

Some felt it reminded viewers of Bowie’s greatness and affect on pop music, whereas others – together with the late musician’s son – have been much less impressed by the frilly efficiency (and the very fact it was so closely sponsored by Intel).

Adele might have received the three greatest awards on the 2017 Grammys, even she admitted that the evening actually belonged to Beyoncé.

Bey’s elaborate and delightful rendition of Love Drought and Sandcastles got here shortly after the information that she and husband Jay-Z have been anticipating twins, and her 10-minute efficiency celebrated motherhood, serving as the right nearer to her beautiful Lemonade period.

A yr after a moderately shaky model of All I Ask, Adele opened the 2017 Grammys with a flawless rendition of Hiya. Sadly, her second efficiency of the evening didn’t go fairly as easily.

Having been chosen to pay tribute to George Michael with a rearranged model of Fastlove, Adele restarted the efficiency a minute in, declaring: “I’m sorry. I can’t do it once more like final yr.

“I’m sorry for swearing and sorry for beginning once more, can we please begin it once more? I’m sorry, I can’t mess this up for [George]. I’m sorry.”

On the 2018 Grammys, the Time’s Up motion was a significant speaking level, which the celebrities in attendance honoured by carrying black and holding white roses on the crimson carpet.

This emphasis on honouring the survivors of sexual abuse, notably within the work-place, made Kesha’s beautiful model of Praying – surrounded by different feminine singers – all of the extra hanging.

Janelle Monáe’s 2018 album Soiled Pc was accompanied by a brief movie of the identical title, which was dropped at life on the Grammys stage the next yr.

And whereas Janelle might have gone dwelling empty-handed on the evening, this efficiency – which included provocative choreography, homages to Prince and *these* vulva trousers – was undoubtedly a stand-out.

This efficiency was just about every thing we love about Cardi B. It was in-your-face, it was loud, it was assured, it was completely further, it was sensible.

No, we’re not 100% satisfied there wasn’t a little bit of *ahem* assist in the ol’ vocal division, however who else within the trade proper now’s going to present us a perfectly-executed routine on high of a grand piano, earlier than giving a shout out to her toddler daughter and strutting about in a leopard-print peacock tail?

A yr after snubbing the Grammys on account of a dispute with organisers, this efficiency served as a victory lap for Ariana Grande on the finish of her vastly profitable Thank U, Subsequent period.

After delivering some highly effective vocals on album reduce Think about (and a fast blast of My Favorite Issues from The Sound Of Music), Ari served a fast costume change and introduced the home down with renditions of her chart-topping tunes 7 Rings and Thank U, Subsequent.

Tyler, The Creator introduced his distinctive model of showmanship to the Grammys stage in 2020, the identical yr he’d take dwelling his first award from the Music Academy.

Regardless of clocking in at beneath 5 minutes, Tyler took us on a wild trip with this efficiency, which included a Boyz II Males cameo, pyrotechnics, moshing and a entire lot of bowl cuts.

This 2020 efficiency can’t have been a straightforward one for Demi Lovato.

Not solely was it the primary time they’d sung reside in public since their near-fatal overdose two years earlier, they have been additionally debuting a model new tune about their experiences written simply days after they have been hospitalised.

Accompanied by only a piano, the extraordinarily private lyrics actually shone, and though the singer needed to start the quantity once more close to the start on account of being too choked up, they ended up fully nailing their efficiency, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the home.

After dominating the charts with their primary tune WAP in 2020, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have been lastly capable of give their monitor the reside debut it deserved a the next yr’s Grammys.

The pair every carried out a string of their solo hits on the evening, however it was after they got here collectively for an outrageous, raunchy and all-round WAP-tastic routine to their much-discussed collab that they actually stole the present.

Regrettably, the entire quantity isn’t at the moment on YouTube, so benefit from the above highlights from Leisure Tonight.

On a considerably extra subdued be aware, Taylor Swift introduced her Folklore album to life when she created an entire world for her 2021 Grammys efficiency.

In addition to performing tracks from Folklore and its follow-up Evermore, she additionally scooped Album Of The Yr on the evening, marking her third win within the prestigious class.

Naked-chested and wrapped up in a feather boa, Harry Kinds actually bought the Grammys off to a particular begin in 2021 when he opened the present with this efficiency. Frankly, we’ve nonetheless not recovered.

If you happen to solid your thoughts again to a few of Sam Smith’s extra subdued awards present appearances within the early years of their profession, there was no indication a number of years later they’d be dominating the dialog with a Grammys efficiency full with choreography, pyrotechnics and a whooole lot of backlash from conservative critics.

Sam and collaborator Kim Petras gave their chart-topping hit Unholy its inaugural reside efficiency on the 2023 Grammys – and it’s honest to say it bought a number of individuals speaking.

The 2024 Grammys will happen on Sunday 4 February.