It only took 56 years after her debut album, 1968’s “Song to a Seagull,” but folk goddess Joni Mitchell finally made her long-overdue Grammys debut playing on the award ceremony Sunday night.
And should you’re still scratching your head about the way it is even possible that Joni Freaking Mitchell — who represents all that’s musical excellence —had never performed on music’s biggest night, you actually wouldn’t be the just one.
After the 80-year-old icon had won her tenth gramophone — Best Folk Album for her 2023 LP “Joni Mitchell at Newport [Live]” — earlier within the night, she took the stage on the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to bless us with a chilling, crushing version of her 1969 classic “Each Sides, Now.”
Nobody who witnessed it would soon forget a Mitchell tapping her cane from her throne of a chair, as if to keep time with the rhythm of her soul.
It was a performance, a moment, that can go down in Grammy history.
A lot in order that it overshadowed every other moment on what was easily considered one of the best Grammys in recent memory, including when Taylor Swift — considered one of Mitchell’s modern-day descendants — made history as the primary artist to win Album of the 12 months 4 times for her 2022 blockbuster “Midnights.”
Fittingly, the entire night was ruled by generations of ladies whose minds and musical visions were let out by Godmother Joni.
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From Victoria Monét, the R&B singer-songwriter who upset country sensation Jelly Roll for Best Recent Artist 10 years after releasing Monét’s debut EP (“Nightmares & Lullabies: Act 1”) to Billie Eilish, who won her second Song of the 12 months Grammy for her “Barbie” ballad, “What Was I Made For?,” it was ladies’ night.
But there continues to be work to be done for some women — especially women of color.
When Jay-Z accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award with daughter Blue Ivy, he took the chance to call out the Recording Academy for never awarding wife Beyoncé with Album of the 12 months, not even for “Renaissance” last 12 months.
“Take into consideration that: Probably the most Grammys. Never won Album of the 12 months. That doesn’t work,” he said.
From the rapper with a wicked way with words, that was an entire word.
Although Mitchell was inconceivable to beat, listed below are another best —and worst — moments from music’s biggest night.
BEST: Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman
All of the feels — and chills — when Tracy Chapman took the stage to start off “Fast Automobile” with country sensation Luke Combs — 26 years after the folk-pop singer released the song that the country sensation changed into a good larger hit in 2023.
It was considered one of those perfect Grammy moments that, as just the second performance, was an early peak within the show.
While “Fast Automobile” didn’t win either Record or Song of the 12 months when it was nominated back in 1989 — it lost each to Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Comfortable” — the love that 59-year-old Chapman felt within the room from Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey and Combs himself will need to have felt lots like sweet victory in and of itself.
BEST: SZA
It’s against the law that leading nominee SZA didn’t win any of the three Big 4 awards for which she was nominated.
But her medley of “SOS” hits “Snooze” and “Kill Bill” — which had her making like a badass Uma Thurman — simply slayed.
Even Quentin Tarantino couldn’t have envisioned this massacre of the stage on music’s biggest night.
BEST: Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish can seriously do no flawed.
Singing her haunting “Barbie” ballad “What Was I Made For?” — which went on to win her a second Song of the 12 months Grammy — not only did she deliver one of the crucial achingly beautiful vocals you’ll ever hear live — along with her producer/co-writer brother Finneas providing stripped-down accompaniment on piano — but she wore an iconic ’60s fit worn by the doll.
Flawless.
WORST: Miley Cyrus
“I just won my first Grammy!” Miley Cyrus shouted mid-performance of “Flowers,” which had earlier scored the previous Disney Channel darling her first Grammy ever.
Her No. 1 smash would nab her second gramophone later for Record of the 12 months.
I’m glad you bought your “Flowers,” girl, but save that cheesy, Vegas-y celebration for the after-party.
Her attempt to channel Tina Turner at the tip sort of wilted greater than rocked. (See Fantasia Barrino’s later ode to Turner, which was significantly better.)
WORST: U2
With all the worthy nominees who would have loved to have their moment on the Grammy stage, was it really value it having U2 beam in from Los Vegas in the primary televised performance from the out-of-this-world Sphere venue?
As much as we like Bono and his boys, having them perform their 2023 single “Atomic City,” which wasn’t even nominated, just didn’t make sense.
I mean, a minimum of play a rattling classic quite than a song most individuals haven’t even heard.
Best/Worst: In Memoriam tributes to Tony Bennett, Sinéad O’Connor and Tina Turner
Everybody—and I mean everybody—loves Stevie Wonder.
But his Tony Bennett tribute with “For Once in My Life” that kicked off the In Memoriam segment was no match for Annie Lennox’s chilling, crushing version of “Nothing Compares 2 U” in honor of Sinéad O’Connor.
Fantasia Barrino may not have received an Oscar nomination for “The Color Purple,” but she scored perhaps a good higher honor: the prospect to salute the legendary Tina Turner in a rousing rendition of the Ike & Tina classic “Proud Mary” that indeed did the artist born Anna Mae Bullock proud.
And she or he got the last word intro from “Color Purple” producer Oprah Winfrey.
WORST: Travis Scott
The rapper’s medley of “My Eyes,” “I Know?” and “FE!N” from his hit album “Utopia” was all moody mess.
Shrouded in shadows for much of his performance, he failed to connect along with his vibe-y vision that never got here to life.
And along with his performance coming late within the show — after a stellar string of numbers that were little question hard to top — all of it felt way too sleepy on the late hour.