Hands down, the performances were the most important moments from tonight’s Grammys ceremony. And needless to say, they were varied. From gorgeous ballad moments, like Lady Gaga’s performances of “Joanne” and “Million Reasons” to Cardi B and Bruno Mars’ electric rendition of “Finesse” to, of course, Kesha’s #MeToo moment, tonight’s live acts proved how powerful music can be.
Here’s a rundown of every live performance from the evening:
Kendrick Lamar, U2, and Dave Chapelle. Words cannot describe how powerful this performance was. It was the first of the evening, and it was a mix of social commentary, spellbinding rap force from Lamar, and even a bit of comedy. Oh, and there were some serious pyrotechnics.
Lady Gaga. The pop star performed the titular song from her album, Joanne, in addition to “Million Reasons,” which was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance. Gaga traded her usual theatrics for a stunning set mostly at the piano, where she wore literal angel wings and was covered in glitter. (It is Lady Gaga, after all; everything she does has that sparkle.)
Sam Smith. He sang his hit song “Pray” with a full gospel choir in the background. His vocals took center stage, though—as they always do.
Little Big Town. The country group performed their Taylor Swift-penned song “Better Man” atop a building in the heart of New York City. They might’ve been cold, but the performance was white-hot.
Jon Batiste and Gary Clark Jr. The twosome gave a super-lively, guitar-infused homage to Fats Domino and Chuck Berry.
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. They performed “Despacito,” naturally. It was such a high-energy, visual performance, stuffed with fun choreography and sexy vocals from Mr. Fonsi. This really is the song of the year.
Childish Gambino (a.k.a Danny Glover). He gave an especially sensual rendition of “Terrified,” which included some haunting, smoking sonics and spectacular guest vocals from 9-year-old JD McCrary.
Pink. The pop singer traded in her usual theatrical acrobatics for jeans and a simple T-shirt. She performed “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken” with no bells and whistles—she didn’t even really move. Her vocals were the only thing doing gymnastics tonight.
Bruno Mars and Cardi B. This instantly-iconic duo brought the house down with a rendition of their new, ’90s-tastic hit “Finesse.” It was the most entertaining performance of the evening, hands down.
Sting. He performed “An Englishman in New York,” alongside Shaggy, whom he just collaborated with on a new song.
Rihanna, DJ Khaled, and Bryson Tiller. Of course, they sang “Wild Thoughts,” and it was everything. Rihanna served some top-notch choreography and face, all while wearing a stunning pink dress that was quite the lewk.
Eric Church, Maren Morris, and Brothers Osborne . This trio of country artists performed a tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas country-music festival shooting , which happened October 1, 2017. All three of these artists performed at that festival.
Kesha: She performed her poignant ballad “Praying” alongside several female artists, including Camila Cabello, Cyndi Lauper, Julia Michaels, Andra Day, and Bebe Rexha. Clad in all white, these five women sang their hearts out—in solidarity both for Kesha and the #MeToo movement as a whole. It was beautiful, powerful, and brought everyone to tears—and to their feet.
U2: The group followed Kesha’s performance with an enjoyable rendition of their song “Get Out of Your Own Way.”
Elton John and Miley Cyrus: This is the second time John’s joined forces with a pop diva on the Grammys stage. The first was with Gaga in 2010, and this time he sang “Tiny Dancer” with Cyrus. It was lovely.
Ben Platt: The Dear Evan Hansen sensation sang “Somewhere” from West Side Story.
Patti LuPone: As a tribute to Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Weber, LuPone sang “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from Evita.
SZA: This breakout artist from 2017 performed “Broken Clocks,” a deep cut from her debut album Ctrl.
Chris Stapleton and Emmylou Harris: They sang an homage to Tom Petty, which also served as the in-memoriam portion of the evening.
Logic, Alessia Cara, Khalid: They sang “1-800-273-8255,” which was nominated for Song of the Year at tonight’s ceremony. The performance ended with Logic giving a rousing call for disenfranchised people to find their strength and realize they are not alone.
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