Did you see the 55th Grammy Awards on Sunday night - February 10th? I was there.
Technically, I traded my tickets for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to join
local radio winners for the JT 20/20 Experience
in Los Angeles. For those of you who watched the Grammy Awards, you know that
JT = Justin Timberlake.
JT made his official comeback Sunday night. He invited lucky
fans to watch the official Grammy Awards dress rehearsal in the Staples Center
and then chill in his West Hollywood penthouse suite to eat, drink, view
the Grammy Awards show live, and then see his 20/20 Experience show after the Grammys at the Hollywood Palladium.
We loved him and I think you will too! I'll elaborate on the reasons why in a
moment.
The Grammy Awards
Dress Rehearsal
First, I'd like to say that there are at
least 3 cool things about experiencing the Grammy Awards dress rehearsal and seeing the show live:
1. You get to see all of the performances and stage
transitions not seen on TV
2. You get to mingle and network
with some of your favorite artists and legends
3. You learn to appreciate the details that go into making
the show great because the staff truly puts in tremendous effort to honor the nominees and special award recipients
Unfortunately, the tight security banned the use
of cameras and phones in the dress rehearsal. I'm so sorry I could not capture
photos of Bruno Mars with Sting, Bob Marley's family, and Rhianna in tribute to Bob Marley.
I was also sorry I could not snap a pic of one of my mentors (in
my head) - Producer Jimmy Jam. I'm resolved to live with mental photos for now.
It was very exciting to see some of the celebrity artists
come in to practice. I say some
because not all of them were there. For
example, neither Chuck D nor Jay-Z practiced for their separate collab performances and most presenters had stand-ins.
Everyone else was there for the rehearsal.
What stood out to me were the artists that dressed up for
their rehearsal. For example,
Taylor Swift performed with a circus-style
set. All of the characters and musicians for her song were dressed in costume and executed costume changes and prop movements during the song.
There were even dancers hanging in the air, which you probably did not catch
much of on TV.
Another example was Carrie
Underwood. She
had a beautiful set, including a string
orchestra, a backdrop of beautiful flowing images,
and a dress that was like a screen for creative projection mapping. It was
beautiful and she SANG! Don't you agree from what you saw on TV?
I loved how every person
involved in the dress rehearsal was committed to their contributions to the
performance, whether they were going to get much TV time or not.
The Grammys Live
If you saw the Grammys, then you know most of the performances were great. What stood out to me most was
Bruno Mars with Sting, Rhianna, Ziggy Marley, and Damien Marley. The room was so
energized with the band's dance moves and the awesome grooves. The set by
Justin Timberlake also stood out. His big, classy band energized the room with their cool and hip dance moves, grounded by awesome orchestration.
As a musician, I loved these performances because of the
whole package of entertainment, musicianship and inspiration from all involved.
I love when a band dances in synchronized movements, don't you? It influences the audience to move with them too.
All of the nominees this year seemed
worthy of their nominations. As a recent Full Sail University graduate,
I'm thrilled that my fellow alumni were nominated in various categories.
Back to JT
20/20 Experience
Most of the band that accompanied Justin Timberlake for the Grammy Awards show was at his show at the Hollywood Palladium. If you love grooves that
move you, whether fast, mid tempo, or slow, I think you will enjoy more than one song on JT's new music release
called The 20/20 Experience. His
lyrics are good with more songs on
love and commitment. Take a peek at his site when you can, where you might see my face too! www.JustinTimberlake.com
My final note is to those who are pursuing a career in the
music industry. I can assure you that doing one or all of the following will
not be a waste of time:
1. Join GrammyU as a student
2. Attend the Grammy Awards when you are eligible, even if
you are not nominated yet
3. Network
Cheers to the journey where dreams come true!
