This was supposed to be the year the Grammy Awards got back to normal. In 2021, the pandemic delayed the ceremony by six weeks and led organizers to put on a stripped-down outdoor show with no audience, which charmed critics with its intimate look yet had anemic ratings.
This year, after another delay — this one caused by the omicron variant — the 64th annual Grammys have decamped for the first time to Las Vegas and will be broadcast by CBS on Sunday night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But a deluge of additional complications have followed. Kanye West was barred from performing because of his unsettling online behavior. Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters, who were scheduled to perform at the ceremony, died while on tour.
And then, at the Oscars on Sunday, Will Smith smacked Chris Rock onstage, an incident that grabbed headlines around the world and brought new scrutiny over how the organizers of major awards shows should handle star-on-star altercations on live television.
Even with those surprises — and after years of controversies at the Recording Academy, the nonprofit organization behind the Grammys — producers say they are ready for anything and have worked to create a fresh look for the show. The ceremony will once again have an arena audience and feature full-scale performances by stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Silk Sonic, Billie Eilish, J Balvin, Carrie Underwood, John Legend and Lil Nas X. Other highlights include a tribute to Stephen Sondheim and a moment of observation of the war in Ukraine. Trevor Noah returns as the host.
The most closely watched contest is whether Rodrigo, the 19-year-old singer and actress whose song “Drivers License” was a sensation last year, can sweep the four top awards of album, record and song of the year, and best new artist. Her competition ranges from meme master Lil Nas X to 95-year-old Tony Bennett, who is up for “Love for Sale,” a Cole Porter album…