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The 68th annual Grammy Awards (“Music’s Biggest Night,” according to the Grammy Awards) took place this past Sunday at the still-hilariously-named Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles. As usual, this year’s ceremony—the last one before the telecast moves to ABC, Hulu, and Disney+ in 2027, ending the Grammys’ 50-plus-year partnership with CBS—was a mixed bag. It was (mercifully) Trevor Noah’s last time hosting after six years, and he was unable to muster a single funny joke, even when he leaned on the famous faces in the crowd. Sidling up to the beloved Kendrick Lamar only to make a Drake joke felt dated and lame, but expectations were on the floor.
Addison Rae performed her song “Fame Is a Gun” in the loading-dock underbelly of the arena, but somehow made it seem pretty cool in her Y2K-revival way, even though no one believed she was singing live. The Kpop girl group KATSEYE, whom I knew only by name, played “Gnarly,” a song so lyrically ridiculous that I had to assume it was geared toward children. (Funny to think Joni Mitchell watched that from the audience.) Alex Warren had sound issues, Sabrina Carpenter expertly writhed around on a fuselage in an elaborate airport-themed set, and Tyler, the Creator did everything he could to combine the vibes of his two releases this year, Chromakopia and Don’t Tap the Glass, but it felt a little busy. Avowed GLP-1 non-user Jelly Roll couldn’t help himself and exclaimed “Jesus is for everybody!” while accepting his Best Contemporary Country Album Grammy. Save that shit for the CMAs, my good brother. And Bad Bunny took album of the year, much to no one’s surprise.
I don’t want to focus on the lowlights, though. These shows always set artists up to fail. But Justin Bieber, of all people, powered through to deliver the best performance of the night by a mile. Scantily clad in only shimmering baby blue boxer shorts from his Skylrk clothing line and a pair of scrunched-down socks (the Skylrk Thin Loop Sock in “Hailey Grey,” it looked like) Bieber commanded the stage with a slight “fent lean” stance, a purple 1980s Yamaha RGX 612S electric guitar, a drum machine, and a loop pedal. Luckily, it wasn’t giving Ed Sheeran. Instead, the Canadian-born SKYLRK founder gave a pared-back, soulful performance of his Swag single “Yukon.” As Dijon, the song’s writer and producer, cheered him on enthusiastically from the crowd, the cameras kept panning to a dewy and grinning Hailey Bieber in the audience. The whole thing went off without a hitch, and made most of the night’s other performances seem a little silly, even if some people were concerned that his hog might pop out.
The return of guitar music in popular culture is real, and it goes beyond the Geese pandemonium. When a Justin Bieber-level superstar shows up on TV proudly wielding a “shred-era” guitar, it’s a good omen. He gave a real performance that didn’t feel overly rehearsed or pandering to the audience. It was a great reminder of his raw talent, and proof that sometimes something this simple and unadorned is exactly what cuts through the noise.