Everybody knows the biggest awards show in the music business is the Grammy Awards. Every year, the Grammys are full of hyped-up performances as much as it is full of controversy in terms of the Recording Academy’s nominations and selection of winners. To be brutally honest, it seems like the Grammys have been getting it wrong for years now, losing its credibility and professionalism in giving props and respect to the artists who deserve it. The highest of music awards are being given to artists today who don’t even need to know how to play musical instruments or sing for that matter. All they need is a computer program and a laser light show and their mindless techno-trash void of human emotion gets a trophy.
It’s not even all about the artists who win the awards not being worthy of them, but the other way around, with the Grammys not worthy of having actual talented musicians and musical legends be part of their highly commercialized money-making ratings machine they call an “awards show”.
Certainly, legendary rock band Metallica was not given the proper reverence by the Grammys this year. In case you missed it, during 2017 Grammy Awards held last February 12, Metallica performed “Moth Into Flame” with eccentric pop star Lady Gaga and fell victim to the notorious Grammys flubs. The live performance was doomed even before it started as the beginning of the multiple mishaps commenced with the introduction – or lack thereof- by “Orange Is the New Black” transgender actress Laverne Cox. Cox enthusiastically introduced Lady Gaga by listing how many awards she’s won but failed to even mention Metallica, the iconic eight-time Grammy winning band who sold 110 million records Gaga was just singing back-up for. Cox later apologized on Twitter.
The downward spiral continued when during the performance, front man James Hetfield stepped up to his mic only to find that it wasn’t on. No sound was coming out of it at all. So after singing the first few verses in silence, Hetfield had to awkwardly go over to Lady Gaga’s mic and was forced share hers. The show must go on but we can all tell Hetfield wasn’t happy with the Grammys with the mishap. So were the fans.
And as if to add salt to the wound, when the Grammy for Best Metal Performance was won by Megadeth, fronted by Metallica’s original lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, they played the classic Metallica song, “Master of Puppets” as the band made its way to the stage, not a Megadeth song. Surely Metallica deserved so much more respect than they were given that night.
Mistakes, especially on live television, happen all the time, but it will never be forgotten. It was reported that after the performance, Hetfield was “livid” backstage. Who wouldn’t be? Producers later on apologized for the “awful” incident saying that one of the stage extras may have accidentally kicked out Hetfield’s mic cable. The Grammys’ producers may spend a lifetime offering apologies to the countless technical mishaps that went on during the show but as they are losing their credibility every year, they shouldn’t expect to have Metallica or any rock legends back on their show for the years to come.
Source: societyofrock.com
