Grammys One Hour In:  3 Bleeps, 2 Awards, and Nicki Minaj Absence Cheered

Hey, the folks.

It is Sunday, February first, and as we record this, we are one hour into the live Grammys broadcast. Welcome to Amy and TJ, folks, right now, tell them robes, tell the good people. Should they turn this thing on? I go ahead and go to bed.

You know what, you can turn it on because we really haven't seen any awards yet, so you haven't missed much. You've seen a lot of performances. We've seen some great, great phenomenal. It's like been watching a concert. Basically, I meant.

The show in general. Would you tell them it's worth turning the TV on. I just go ahead and go to bed and get the highlights in the morning.

I mean, I think the best is yet to come.

I think it's a little bit of a slow start, but we have a lot of awards to watch, So yeah, I say turn it on.

Yeah, why not?

It's not a good cell for the folks over.

What would you say to everyone listening?

Uh, you're okay, it's it's I haven't no, no, I haven't seen anything enough yet to say. And you know I'll tell people miss sleep for some something. Yes, I haven't seen anything yet that I would just say, oh, my goodness, you got to turn the TV on, see some good stuff, seeing some interesting stuff, and you know what, some of what we're about to tell you might get you to turn the TV on.

Let's get right to it.

Uh, first hour only two awards, and the second of those two was done at about two minutes to the top of the hour, so they barely got one award in We should mention that Trevor Noah is back sixth year.

I think he's done it. How did his top go? How at the top of the joke?

It was a little shaky.

I think he was trying a little too hard to be funny, and I don't know if the.

Crowd just feels like a little low energy or I.

Don't know, he just felt a little off, like he was pushing it too much. But he's charming, he's lovely, he's sweet, he's well intended, so nothing offensive. But it wasn't it wasn't great.

Think he got some classic charm. I like him. He lost. I thought Justin Bieber threw him off.

It seemed like he spent He opened the show, he only you know, he says hello to the audience, but then he goes down to the TV audience and then he goes down there were all the celebrities are sitting and he's kind of just he has some planet jokes, but he's kind of just riffing.

And he came up to Justin Bieber, and Justin Bieber I.

Don't want to say he was pissed, but he didn't necessarily play along in the you wouldn't even look at it the fun way.

Justin Bieber did not make eye contact.

It was being mean.

He was just he seems that you said it best.

You said, Justin Bieber seems annoyed right now. And honestly, to make up for his seeming annoyance, Hailey Bieber you could see, was like engaging and trying to laugh it off and say, see, yeah we're good, We're happy.

But I don't know if Justin's nervous.

He's performing later, correct, So I'm actually looking forward to that.

Yeah, I like that.

Justin Bieber's a part of the music scene and he's nominated tonight, so that's all great.

So that was his opening.

Now he started bouncing around the room and you see things and something that clear please stands out is one guy who was dressed differently than the rest. And he has on a big hat and a very colorful suit and a very colorful tie and it's all patterned.

Jamie Fox, what is he there?

Well, he's a don't get me wrong, He's obviously a very accomplished musician. But I'm just saying his get up stands out for me tonight. He is wearing a unique out.

He wasn't looking to blend in tonight.

And he is not anyway, but he stood out to me. But everybody seems great, looks good. And before we get to the performances that we have seen, a lot of people are standing by robes and they were waiting how how many political statements might be made? How many suggestions some of the crowd, Billy Eyish in particular, has been very outspoken having to do with what's happening with Ice. Trevor Noah made two jokes that kind of gave some reference,

Yes, when Nicki Minaj couldn't be here tonight, we did hear a cheer from the audience when he announced that she was not in the building.

It was the biggest applause line he had.

Yes, it landed, Yes, that landed with the audience.

That one was funny. He just said she wasn't there. Almost he had to wait for the audience to cry quiet down before he continued with the next part of the joke. He said, she's at the White House, and this is where he did a Donald Trump impression. He said they're arguing over who has the bigger ass, and he did a whold Trump impression.

Obviously I can't do it.

Was it?

No mine is bigger, No mine is bigger than it was.

It was funny.

The other was just the idea.

He's talked about Doge's song Anxiety. I believe that is nominated tonight. He said, that's our new national anthem.

Yes, that was a good one as well. That was a good one, you know.

Look, I also he mentioned something that I forgot him also looking forward to as well later tonight, not only as Justin Bieber performing, but Lauren Hill is as well.

I'm very excited about that.

So there's gonna be some really cool formats from folks that we've loved for a long time that we haven't necessarily seen on that stage.

Okay, I'm going to get back to a Lauren Hill joke, but now we need to completely correct ourselves here about whether or not you need to turn the TV on, because you should have, because what you're missing right now is justin Bieber.

We are seeing this live rolls.

It looks like he's doing the thing that we have seen Ed Sharon do to where he's completely producing his own song, all the vocals, all the backgrounds live on stage. You remember, yes, Ed Sharon did this, and he's standing here in what looks like silk boxers and nothing else.

Am I saying?

There?

Right, grandpa socks on and some boxer shorts.

This is interesting. Let rewind and see this so we'll get through this. The Lauren hilljoke that I was mentioning, he said, was talking about she hasn't performed in.

A long time.

Nineteen ninety nine, he said, And he said, back in nineteen ninety nine, the president had had a sex scandal the Grammys.

Wait, sorry, back then the president was in a sex scandal. Everyone computers were going to destroy the world, and Diddy was arrested. Boy, how times have changed? Yes, so that one land, but not at this point, at least we haven't seen necessarily overwhelming overt references to what's going on Olivia Dean. One of the two awards robes that was

Do you have that one in front of you?

Oh? Yes, she came up and she mentioned that her grandmother, yes, was an immigrant, and so she had a very I'm trying to find it right now.

I'm up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant. I'm a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We're nothing without each other.

Very simple, that's how you do it.

That's how you make a statement without being divisive. And she said something beautiful, personal and it was positive, and I thought that was something that hopefully might be mirrored by other artists who get up instead of being divisive. That was a beautiful way to make a statement and actually have it be inclusive.

Yeah, okay, so we'll get to some of those performances. This was cool. I thought. Rogues that the Academy did all of the best New Artists nominees perform back to back to back to back.

That was very cool.

It's cool to do it like that.

This might be the only chance they get to be on a Grammy stage, but they you know, and they just happened in secession like that.

It was really a nice touch. I don't remember.

They might have started this year's back, I can't remember, but it was done well. However, we got some very positives to say about what we saw. We got some we don't want to call them negatives, but they were to see them next to each other, you kind of compare and contrast back to back the different styles, yes, of these artists.

And their comfort levels performing.

I mean, can you imagine best New artists you were getting to perform on a Grammy stage in front of the world, and you've got what how much time did they each get?

Maybe a minute? So that is so much pressure. That is so much pressure.

And we saw some people, well, let's just say, perform better than others under that pressure.

Well, perform better than others. But also why are some choosing to sing and some want to lip sync? All right, we continue here, robes. I look, they choose their different reasons. People choose to lip sync all kinds of things and rehearsals and acoustics. It's not a matter if they can or they can't sing, and they can all sing, but it does make a difference. It does leave an impression, and it does leave it an impression on me.

I like live music. I like to hear people sing live.

Some people like the show of it, and certain folks Sabrina Carpenter puts on that was pretty elaborate.

Once again, she's known for this, now, does she not?

Yes, she has a lot.

The few times we've seen her perform, she's got elaborate sets, lots of dancers, lots of coordination lop. I can only imagine what her practice is like, her rehearsals are like, because the coordination she has going on. She certainly puts on a show, but you can absolutely tell she's lip sincing. Now, look, when you're singing on a stage and you're moving around, you're dancing, and you want and if you want your vocals to be perfect, they're probably not going to be

The way they sounded in the studio. I appreciate it when you hear Yeah, you might be.

A little flatter, a little sharp, or a little lout of breath, but I love seeing the performance and have it not be perfect.

But have it be real and edgy and live.

So yeah, it feels a little too packaged and authentic, and I don't love it.

That's a good word. It's just not our preference. But it's a hell of a show. The production she put on with the airplane and Jesus the Captain and all the I mean, hell, that's impressive that they put that together. But that was impressive, just not our are necessarily our preference, and a few did that.

I don't. I don't get the themes as like they're doing.

They also lip synced, for sure.

Yeah, but the themes like I'm following on a little story or a movie set. And I guess it's a throwback to music videos to a certain degree.

Performative, yes, And then you have people like Leon Thomas and Lowly Young just get up there and sang and that it's just and even slow it down. Do less of the Dog and Pony show, and not to I'm not trying to make that sound like it's silly, but really put on this big instead.

Just show what those pipes can do. And that's what they did.

Favorite performance over the night was lowly young and I was not expecting that. I like the song MESSI that's hugely popular, but she slowed it down and did it just sitting in front of a piano, just belting that song out. If you get a chance, folks, go back and look at her performance. That's the number one I would recommend. Somber was hilarious. Everybody likes that song twelve to twelve. But he came down looking.

Like go suit, I mean a disco ball suit. Give me like a mirror ball.

Coming from the ceiling. Yes, that was perfect.

It was really really cool.

And then our hearts went out to Alex Warren because we actually saw him perform twice in jingle Balls and he is a powerhouse.

But he had some issue with his look.

They have to you have to wear earplugs and you get some feedback and so you can make sure you're SYNCD up and on key with your music.

He was having problems immediately out.

Then he got off the music and you could see he was he was spiraling, but he pulled it together and he finished strong. But you could see at the end how disappointed he was in himself.

Yeah.

Well no, yes, technical.

Yes, yes, yes, this was not him. This was not his deal. But you saw it.

And he's so young, he's so new to the scene, and we know so much about his story and his parents and what Even in concerts he says, yeah, I'm the guy who sings about his wife and his dead parents. Yeah right, but he gets that's what his music is about.

Ropes.

He got to go to the Grammys and perform tonight and it didn't go perfectly, and he started fidgeting with the earpiece. Yes, and he literally, folks, you hear the choir singing the line of the chorus, ordinary he's singing a different He's in a different place on the song.

And that's what happened.

When you see people fidgeting, why they have those ear They have to hear the music because you.

Can't hear with the way the speakers are.

It's so it's so precise, and that's why they have rehearsals so you know, and you feel confident about it, and sometimes things just go wrong. Yeah, we were grabbing each other like, oh no, no, but he he did get back on the music and he did finish strong, but you could see it on his face.

He was he was not happy.

Okay, the last one will give we should probably I'm not sure as he's doing this what he's going to say, but I wish we could hear this.

Oh, bad Bunny, Well right now, given pause, we'll catch up.

Bad Bunny is speaking. He just won whatever major award here.

Way I'm reading here say ice So he's saying ice out.

He said ice out, he started, he said, before I say anything. And now there is a huge applause standing ovation. Everybody's clapping, and that's all he said was ice out. Wow, Yes, folks, turn it on. It's getting a little more interesting. The more artists that are getting up there this evening, the performances be damned. I kind of just want to see what they have to say.

Kendrick Lamar also won Best Start Rap Album. He didn't say much. He kept it short and sweet and just moved on. He was he's a very humble dude up there.

I'm sorry, baby. We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans. This is bad, bunny. As we are in real time, we're reading this, I hope they got this.

Also, I want to say to the people, I know it is tough. He knows it's tough not to hate on these days.

And I was thinking, sometimes we get I don't know how to say that in English.

So yes, he's trying to speak English up there that you know, can you even imagine?

I mean he he.

Performs in Spanish. Obviously Spanish is his first language. But to be up on this stage and to make this statement and to be doing it in English, that cannot be easy.

He said that hate gets more powerful with more hate, and the only thing more powerful than hate is love. He is trying to send out a message that appears here that we all need to calm things down. Actually on both sides, we all need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. So he clearly has a message and a plan, and he is actually wrote he's going a little longer than I think some of these speeches. We don't hate them. We love our people, we love our family, and that's the

That's so nice.

Yeah, but he did say ice out and that was clear and plain his day, and I think a lot of people might have been waiting for that moment tonight. So yeah, we went to hop on and give the update, and some of this was happening live, So folks, we will keep you updated. If not, look for what in the morning we're done.

Yeah, yeah, we'll put one up in the morning to wrap up the entire Grammys, but we're going to stay up and watch the whole thing. So if you all want to go to bed, we got you. We got you for the morning. So thank you for listening to us. We always appreciate you. I Amy roback alongside TJ home and we will talk to you bright and early tomorrow morning.