Last night’s 67th Annual Grammy Awards on CBS was a love letter to the City of Angels. In the wake of such awful tragedy in the Los Angeles area from the most destructive wildfires in California history, the Grammy telecast became a virtual telethon, as viewers pledged over $7 million, while many recording industry folks in the Crypto.com Arena opened their wallets. MusiCares Fire Relief raised much money, which has been pledged to the community and to aid those impacted.
My favorite musical moment of the evening was a terrific tribute to the legendary Quincy Jones, who died in November 2024. It featured Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Jacob Collier, Lainey Wilson, Janelle Monáe, and Cynthia Erivo, who sang “Fly Me to the Moon“—a paean to Jones’s timeless collaborations with Frank Sinatra. If it’s posted in full on YouTube, I’ll be sure to share it here!
Ultimately, however, the show was notable for its many California-inspired musical tributes—from an opening all-star rendition of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” to a heartfelt Lady Gaga-Bruno Mars rendition of “California Dreamin’.” Free ad time was given to local Los Angeles businesses. In the end, the brave members of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department, who got a rousing standing ovation, presented the most coveted award of the evening: Album of the Year—and yes, Beyoncé finally won that honor. Her album, “Cowboy Carter,” also won honors for Best Country Album. Check out Grammy’s firefighter moment below.
YouTube finally posted the Cynthia Erivo performance of “Fly Me to the Moon”!
Notablog 