Link:

http://www.nypost.com/ent.../17459.htm

WHILE you'd expect the most important annual event in American music to be a stellar, polished, cutting-edge night of honors and performances, the 46th Grammy Awards was anything but.

With nineteen performances, there was hardly time to give away any Grammys.

If there was a moment that captured past glory yet turned to the future, it was the opening number featuring Prince singing an R&B/gospel treatment of his hit "Purple Rain."

While Prince has been flying under the radar of pop music for the last few years, this sizzling performance marked his reemergence.

The most cringe-inducing moment was when Sting, Vince Gill, Dave Matthews and Pharrell Williams paid homage to the Beatles on the 40th anniversary of the Fab Four's American conquest.

"American Idol" villain critic Simon Cowell always warns all of the amateur contenders, "Don't forget the words."

Yet when the quartet attempted "I Saw Her Standing There," Matthews Sang, "I saw her dancing there."



Sting glided along the chorus until he derailed on the Paul McCartney high note, and the harmonies sounded like somebody was hurting a dog.

The boys had nobody to blame but themselves, but poor Celine Dion who performed Luther Vandross' "Dance With My Father" was mired in technical difficulties.

While the camera focused in tightly on Dion, all you could hear was a now-unemployed sound guy repeatedly asking, "Should I take it up, should I take it up."

He finally took it up to the point that Dion busted a few eardrums when her upper register collided with a wall of feedback.

Was the much-publicized five-minute time delay just for boobs in bras and not for boobs in the soundroom?

Among the more daring performances was the funk extravaganza that featured slide guitarist Robert Randolph, the vocal quake of Earth Wind and Fire, funkmaster general George Clinton and this year's Grammy-grabbing duo OutKast. It wasn't courageous for the material or even the performance - but for its extraordinary 12-minute duration.

Less ambitious, but much more impressive was the Black Eyed Peas doing their socially conscious hit "Where Is the Love?" which featured Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé.

The band and their superstar guests was among the very few acts that seemed excited to be performing.

dnaplaya said:[quote]

If there was a moment that captured past glory yet turned to the future, it was the opening number featuring Prince singing an R&B/gospel treatment of his hit "Purple Rain."

While Prince has been flying under the radar of pop music for the last few years, this sizzling performance marked his reemergence.

quote]



Prince did exactly what he had to do.
Job well done.
All you naysayers should shut the fuck up with your moaning.
[This message was edited Mon Feb 9 3:44:05 PST 2004 by Sly]

the critics love prince

in new york

it was sweet 2 have prince

open up the show with such

powerful and classic grace

and then have andre 3000

close the gig with a big bang

4 future funk