In a world where Top 40 radio seems to be somewhat less relevant than it was before (at least in my opinion) the Grammy Awards provided me with one or two pleasant surprises. The biggest and best of these was Kings of Leon taking Record of the Year over Beyonce, Black-Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift. This was an extremely competitive category this year, with Kings of Leon looking like they would be the odd man out. It honestly renewed some of my faith in the music industry to see Kings of Leon win this award. This isn’t to say the other nominees weren’t deserving. I simply mean that the music industry seems to have turned it’s back on rock music for the most part in recent years. Since this is primarily what I listen to, it has been hard to find anything on the radio that interests me. Speaking of rock music, Kings of Leon also took Best Rock Performance by a duo or group and Best Rock Song. They were nominated for Song of the Year but lost to “Single Ladies” by Beyonce. Green Day was another well-representied rock group this year, as they were nominated for three awards. Two of these were lost to Kings of Leon, but they did manage to take Rock Album of the Year, which I believe was very much deserved. 21st Century Breakdown was possibly one of the Best Albums of the Year, not just in rock but overall. Green Day was also one of the featured performers for this year’s Grammys, appearing with the cast of American Idiot to perform “21 Guns”. Other notable performances were given by Bon Jovi performing three of his hits, including one that was voted on by the fans. Out of three choices “Livin on a Prayer” won the most votes and was played as the end of his mini set. Overall the awards were too long (3.5 hours is a little much) but there were a few good moments that made it somewhat worthwhile.
Tag: awards
VMA: Vote Muse, America
While everyone else may be talking about Kanye’s comments or Beyonce’s performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, I want to take a moment to put the spotlight on Muse. Their performance during the show was the highlight of the night for me. The awards itself didn’t interest me much (except the much deserved win by Green Day for their 21 Guns video). The only time I really got excited was when I heard Matthew Bellamy’s enchanting voice sing its first notes on American television. Yes, this was Muse’s first appearance on American TV. This band from the UK has always been more popular overseas than here. They are currently on tour as support for U2 and have sold out two dates at Giants Stadium later this month, but that was more because of who they are touring with than their own popularity here. My hope is that they are finally starting to breakout in the US and that we will consequently get to see more of them here.