At this year’s Grammy ceremony, the Recording Academy called on artists Post Malone, Lauryn Hill and Reba McEntire to honor the musicians who died last year.
The annual In Memoriam segment paid tribute to artists like Roberta Flack, D’Angelo and Ozzy Osbourne. From heavy punk numbers to jazzy R&B ballads and solemn country-infused performances, the academy celebrated those who have shaped music, whether it’s on the artistry end or the business end of things.
It started off with a candlelit tribute from McEntire, Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson. The trio performed McEntire’s “Trailblazer.” McEntire lost her late stepson, talent manager Brandon Blackstock, last year. As the performance continued, images of people like Connie Francis, Roy Ayers, Joe Ely and Ace Frehley appeared on the screen behind.
Then Post Malone, backed by Andrew Watt, Slash, Duff McKagan and Chad Smith — all artists who worked with Osbourne over the past few years covered Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” complete with bursts of fire and endless guitar riffs. The camera continued to pan over to teary-eyed Kelly and Sharon Osbourne, wife and daughter of the Black Sabbath frontman, who attended the ceremony.
Then, it was Hill’s turn to pay tribute to the late R&B pioneer D’Angelo. Behind dark shades and covered in diamonds, the singer started off by saying, “Make time for the people you love while you can.”
The singer was backed by a massive band and started to sing her own track “Nothing Even Matters.” She was soon joined by musicians like Lucky Daye, Leon Thomas and Jon Batiste. As they continued to blend the sounds of “Brown Sugar” and “Devil’s Pie,” the giant ensemble shifted gears to pay tribute to Flack.
Throughout the remainder of the segment, Hill acted as a conductor, calling on each musician to sing their parts. They were soon joined by Chaka Khan and John Legend, who sang, “Where Is the Love?” By the end of the performance, the setlist came back to the Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” The entire stadium erupted in applause, got on their feet and started to dance along with everyone on stage.
In between the live performance, the academy also showed video tributes for Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and Sly Stone.
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