Entertainment

2015 Grammys Perfomances Ranked, From Intensely Moving To Totally Boring

The best thing about the 2015 Grammy Awards on Sunday night was that even though there weren't a whole lot of awards actually announced during the telecast, the performances more than made up for the lack of trophy giving. This year we saw the strangest, best combos of performers together and some relatively boring moments throughout the ceremony. The Grammys may have had its fair share of justified criticism, but one thing you cannot argue with this year was that it was a memorable night. Check out who had the most memorable and snooze-worthy performances, ranked from worst to best.

by Keertana Sastry

18. Madonna

Men dressed as bulls. That’s about all I really remember from Madonna’s performance.

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17. Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

Strange: Their album together is really great but I truly believe that Lady Gaga has a difficult time separating when to go totally over the top and when to just perform a beautiful song. Her over-intensity can even get her in trouble with her vocals. Bennett was adorable as always.

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16. Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani

I enjoy both of these artists separately and I enjoyed them on The Voice together. I did not enjoy them singing together. The song was sweet but both artists felt to be phoning in the performance for me to really fall in love.

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15. Ariana Grande

Grande’s performance can be summed up really quickly: Great voice, boring performance. It’s unfortunate because she’s shown time and again that she can do more and she can do better.

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14. Beck & Chris Martin

I might still be a little confused at Beck besting Beyonce, Sam Smith, and John Legend for Album of the Year, but this performance was definitely not the most memorable of the night. Nonetheless, both artists sounded good together. They just suffered from being one of many performers on Sunday night.

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13. Pharrell Williams

Completely weird. That’s the best way to describe Pharrell’s reimagining of “Happy.” It started out with voiceovers reciting the lines from the song, then a creepy version at the beginning courtesy of talented pianist Lang Lang. And of course there was Pharrell’s bellhop costume. The performance was uneven, but not horrible. The Michael Brown “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” homage certainly made up for the parts that were too tough to swallow.

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12. Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, Questlove with Ed Sheeran

I didn’t fully understand why all of these artists were onstage together, but I enjoyed it. Then again, I enjoy most things Ed Sheeran does because hello, have you heard that voice?

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11. AC/DC

Despite many millennials not really knowing who AC/DC is, this was an interesting and relatively entertaining way to start the show. Nothing wrong with a little blast from the past in my book.

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10. Miranda Lambert

I don’t know much about country music, but I do know that Miranda Lambert knows how to put on a show. People love her for a reason and I got a glimpse of that on Sunday night’s Grammys telecast.

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9. Juanes

I’m truly glad to have gotten a lesson in Juanes tonight. The Latin music sensation performed a catchy hit with style, entertainment, and charisma. I think I’ll become a fan soon enough!

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8. Hozier & Annie Lennox

Hozier is awesome and the song “Take Me To Church” is brilliant but damn! Annie Lennox has still got it! I officially want her performing in every telecast from here to eternity.

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7. Rihanna, Paul McCartney, and Kanye West

Despite some mic issues, a strange backdrop setup (or potentially problem!), this song and the stripped down style made Kanye West, Paul McCartney, and Rihanna’s performance one to remember.

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6. Usher & Stevie Wonder

I know Usher is mostly known for singles like “Good Kisser” and “Yeah!” but this is the version of Usher I liked the best, where he shows his true singing talent with a music legend.

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5. Sam Smith & Mary J. Blige

Perfection. There’s a reason the man won four awards on Sunday night, and there’s a reason Mary J. Blige is an icon.

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4. Katy Perry

From the introduction from Brooke Axtell who shared her story of domestic abuse to a PSA from President Obama, Katy Perry’s performance of “By The Grace of God” was powerful, vulnerable and beautiful.

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3. Sia

Kristen Wiig made a surprise appearance in Sia’s performance of “Chandelier” with Sia’s kid dancer from the video Maddie Ziegler. The result was an at times funny, at times intense, all the time moving performance.

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2. John Legend & Common

These two are such great performers that “Glory” was bound to be a good performance, but what pushed it over the top into incredible status were the photos and videos displaying the Civil Rights Movement during the song.

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1. Beyonce

Queen Bey introduced John Legend and Common’s performance of “Glory” with a gorgeous gospel number that was completely worth the wait until the end of the night. Flawless.

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