As the GRAMMYs are finally over, there are plenty of questions I need answers to right about now. Some we'll just never know, but let's hope when the Recording Academy and producers regroup, these are some of the topics up for discussion.
>> First of all, why in the world do the GRAMMYs need to be so long? For a show aiming at the core demo (18-49), its length runs counter to that. And its ratings (albeit solid) prove that. Early data reveals that approximately 30 million people watched Sunday's telecast, an increase over last year. But viewership began sliding at around 10 p.m. EST (with nearly two hours of the broadcast remaining). The ceremony was scheduled to run from 8-11:30 p.m. (already bold enough) but ran 15 minutes over.
>> Why, of all the things to cut short, was the much-hyped Nine Inch Nails/Queens of the Stone Age/Dave Grohl/Lindsey Buckingham finale abruptly faded out with scrolling credits? The producers clearly scheduled far too many performers (because that's what it's all about), and it backfired. Trent Reznor took to Twitter immediately to blast (presumably) the producers—and possibly his peers, many of whom dipped out during the closer.
>> Speaking of too many performers, why did Hunter Hayes get to perform two years in a row? It's not as if Country was lacking for representation with power couple Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert both performing (separately), in addition to Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and newcomer Kacey Musgraves, whose song "Follow Your Arrow" provided a much clearer inspirational message than whatever Hayes' new song "Invisible" was intended to spell out—according to LL Cool J. Summary: Just a poorly veiled marketing move.
>> Why did P!nk do the Cirque du Soleil thing again, practically mashing up her 2010 GRAMMYs performance where she twirled around from the ceiling and her 2012 American Music Awards stint, in which she performed the exact same song "Try," both being live renditions of the song's music video. Of course, Sunday's performance featured Nate Ruess on "Just Give Me a Reason" and it was in front of a much larger audience than the AMAs. Maybe P!nk just likes the acrobatic performances, but her voice is already incredible. She could have skipped it and made just as much of an impact.
>> Why did Madonna have to perform with Macklemore? Like, what purpose did it actually serve? Let's just assume the 33 couple-wedding segment was a well-intentioned gesture and not a brash attempt to force a "GRAMMY moment," as the Academy likes to brand its buzzworthy bits—whether spontaneous or not. Sure, the "Same Love" message is important, but Macklemore's already rapping and Mary Lambert's singing the chorus, with Ryan Lewis jumping up and down. Full band. Choir. It's crowded up there. And then you've got Queen Latifah officiating. So why bring out Madonna right at the peak of it all, in a pantsuit from the KFC Colonel Sanders Collection? It completely killed the implied goodwill (which was already fragile as it was) and made the performance seem hokey and insincere. With a group of newcomers onstage likely creating their first impression for many viewers, it seemed counterproductive to include Madonna, a polarizing figure for whom most already have an opinion about. In my own opinion, it showed a lack of confidence by producers. Was the wedding supposed to be the "moment," or was it the presence of an A-lister like Madge? That seemed to be the problem all night long though. Bloated with star power, middle-of-the-road guys and breakout acts, just hoping something would stick.
>> Further proof of the Academy's lack of confidence and/or focus came in its brief tribute to Lou Reed. Why was Jared Leto commissioned with that one? Leto's great and all, and he's receiving well-deserved praise for his role in Dallas Buyers Club, but once again this segment appeared to be an afterthought for producers. Perhaps Reed wasn't a friend of the industry's inner circles, but it's typically appropriate for someone with a personal connection to offer tribute during awards ceremonies. It's a much better "moment" when it means something. I highly doubt anyone would have complained over an appearance by David Bowie or even The Killers. Heck, Metallica could have honored Reed and still performed.
>> Why are people acting like they're genuinely surprised Kendrick Lamar didn't win? Listen, I had my fingers crossed as well. But it's the GRAMMYs. We go through this every year, hoping the underdog surprises over the mainstream favorite. Obviously, there's a lot of tension between the old rap guard and the pop-friendly Macklemore, so that makes it sting a little more. But in the Best Rap Album category, the "Thrift Shop" MC had more radio airplay and singles sold than Lamar, Drake, Kanye West and JAY Z. In any other category, people might sigh but it'd hardly come as a shock for mainstream success to equal a GRAMMY (or four). Most voters don't know what they're voting for anyway, so they're likely to choose the most familiar. That said, Lamar's career is only getting started. And as Twitter's own data proved, his performance with Imagine Dragons was the most-tweeted moment of the night. More than Macklemore. More than Paul McCartney. More than even Beyoncé. Maybe producers and voters alike will take notice in future years.
>> Finally, after his arguably divisive wins, why did Macklemore have to Instagram his alleged text to Kendrick Lamar? He had already grammed a screenshot of his well-wishes text to Lamar earlier in the afternoon, perhaps trying to ease anticipated anger from rap fans. But at least the first seemed classy. His second post, a full-throated "apology," suggested that Lamar "deserved Best Rap Album" but "got robbed" by Macklemore. Like the mass wedding earlier in the night, it was probably well-intentioned, but unlike the wedding's important message, Macklemore didn't need to apologize to Kendrick Lamar (as if the situation was in his control anyway). His apology instead further cements the "hip-hop intruder" role many have assigned to him. It unnecessarily screams of guilt. But what for? What's done is done, and you can't help what a third party decides when filling out their ballot. Enjoy the gold, Macklemore. You had a great year. But you might want to skip Instagramming your text messages in the future if you want to break that "outsider" status amongst your peers.