16 Grammy Performances: We Grade 'Em!

LADY GAGA and ELTON JOHN
She opened the telecast with a version of ''Poker Face'' that was just slightly Gaga-by-numbers — until her musclebound dancers shoved her into the ''Fame Factory'' stage set's fiery ''rejected'' pit, and an all-time great Grammy performance began for real. When Gaga re-emerged, she was sitting at a piano across from the mighty Elton John, with matching soot smears and sequined shades. Together they nailed her power ballad ''Speechless,'' plus a brief taste of his ''Your Song.'' ''I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words how wonderful life is with Gaga in the world,'' sang Sir Elton. Agreed! Grade: A-

GREEN DAY
Broadway babies met multiplatinum gutter punks in Green Day?s rousing performance of ?21 Guns? (from '09's 21st Century Breakdown) with the cast of American Idiot, the new stage musical named for the band?s monster 2004 album. A little bit Glee and a lot bit Rent, but still rock ?n? roll. The three female vocalists were on-point, and added a fresh dynamic to a song that's already seen many awards-show runs this year — though guitarist Mike Dirnt looked perhaps the least comfortable with the drama-kid razzle-dazzle of it all. Grade: B+

PINK
The trapeze acrobatics, the revealing outfit — it might have wowed first-time viewers, but we couldn't help feeling we'd seen Pink do this routine far more memorably (at last year's VMAs, for one). ''Glitter in the Air,'' a mopey album cut from 2008's Funhouse, ultimately just wasn't enough song to hold our interest. Grade: C+

LADY ANTEBELLUM
No pyro, no Elton, no stormtroopers. Just the country-pop trio singing their hearts out on the yearning crossover hit ''Need You Now.'' In a show filled with relentless, next-level fabulosity, they might have gotten a little lost in the shuffle, but there was a low-key, homespun charm to their performance. Shame that poor Hillary Scott got attacked by a seemingly hungry and/or homicidal stage curtain. Grade: B

BEYONCÉ
The just-minted winner of the Song of the Year trophy made her first stage appearance of the night (she passed up accepting the award in person in order to prepare) in full woman-warrior gear — studs, corset, black leather — to sing I am ... Sasha Fierce?s gender-twisting ballad ''If I Were a Boy.'' And the message carried over: The back-up dancers — dressed in their best ''if I were a stormtrooper'' get-ups — were all male, but her band was, as always, ladies only. Queen B delivered a passionate, melisma-filled performance, breaking midway through into the original woman-scorned anthem, Alanis Morrissette's ''You Oughtta Know'' before returning to a hair-whipping, stage-pounding coda of ''Boy.'' Sasha? Fierce. Grade: A-

BLACK EYED PEAS
The song was ''Imma Be,'' the fourth single from 2009's massive (and seemingly unstoppable) The E.N.D. — though they already ''be'' winners tonight, having picked up three trophies during the earlier, untelevised part of the ceremony. The song was more spoken then sung, but an inevitable segue into smash ''I Gotta Feeling'' found the foursome pogoing happily into their party-starter comfort zone. Revelatory? Hardly. But as these Peas go, pretty solid. Grade: B

JAMIE FOXX
Do we understand why he led into ''Blame It (On the Alcohol)'' with a fake-out opera intro? Not at all. Do we care? Nope! Especially not when Foxx went on to bring out such a bizarre/brilliant cavalcade of guests: First T-Pain, who actually performs on the song, then beatboxing master Doug E. Fresh, and finally Slash with a ripping ''November Rain'' guitar solo. We want some of whatever you're sipping, Jamie. Grade: B+

ZAC BROWN BAND
Good ole Southern boys, a few bars of ''America the Beautiful,'' mad acoustic solos and legendary Leon Russell — in a night of sequined divas, this was a straight-up tailgates-and-beer dude party. Best New Artists the Zac Brown Band delivered the ''Dixie Lullaby'' and their own ''Chicken Fried'' with beard-y, plucky aplomb. Grade: B

MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE
Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Carrie Underwood and Smokey Robinson joined Michael Jackson in a posthumous six-way performance of ''Earth Song.'' If you saw This Is It in the theaters or bought the soundtrack, you know the song, though not with this all-star support cast. The visuals looked very magical and Avatar-on-Earth; too bad viewers without the required 3-D glasses were left feeling like they just developed cataracts. Nearly everyone sounded stellar vocally, but of all MJ?s transcendent pop hits, was this largely unknown track really the best way to celebrate him? Grade: B

BON JOVI
Jersey's second-favorite sons (sorry kids, Bruce is still and always boss) delivered a perfectly serviceable ''We Weren?t Born to Follow,'' followed (hey!) by a somewhat livelier ''Who Says You Can?t Go Home,'' featuring Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles in some serious leather pants. ''Livin' on a Prayer'' was what really brought the crowd alive. There's so much ''this is my karaoke jam!'' joy in the room that it's hard to fault Jon Bon Jovi and Co., who've doubtless performed this very same song an uncountable number of times, for seeming to be on autopilot. Grade: B-

TAYLOR SWIFT and STEVIE NICKS
For all her undeniable songwriting skills and relatable star power, Taylor has never been a powerhouse live vocalist. Her opening number, ''Today Was a Fairytale,'' reminded us of that unfortunate fact. So it was a blessing when Stevie Nicks, still in fine voice after all these years, came out to duet — first on Fleetwood Mac's ''Rhiannon,'' then a fun honky-tonk version of Swift's ''You Belong With Me.'' Still not the Grammys' highest moment by a long shot, but give Stevie credit for just about saving this one. Grade: C+

ANDREA BOCELLI and MARY J. BLIGE
Multiplatinum tenor (and every mom's favorite) Andrea Bocelli began a sobering Haiti tribute with an Italian-language version of the beloved Simon and Garfunkel classic ''Bridge Over Troubled Water,'' before switching into English and welcoming Mary J. Blige onstage to join him. MJB, emoting with all she's got, had no problem matching the pop-opera giant note for (high) note, and the result was a feat of pure vocal mastery, times two. Grade: A-

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
They slid into ''You and Me'' on a characteristically mellow note — almost too mellow, considering the lateness of the hour. Luckily, the energy level ticked up several notches when a ragged choir joined the band on stage and began singing along, throwing their hands in the air, and generally having a grand old time. The newcomers even inspired a spasmodic bit of impromptu softshoe from Dave. Jam on, sweet princes. Grade: B-

MAXWELL
No fireworks, no fancy costumes — just Maxwell and a horn-assisted band performing ''Pretty Wings,'' an instant-vintage breakup tune that, if you ask us, probably deserved Song of the Year. When Roberta Flack joined him for 1972's ''Where Is the Love,'' with Maxwell capably handling the late Donny Hathaway's part, it was just icing on a very classy cake. Grade: B

JEFF BECK
Who better to pay tribute to one guitar god, the recently deceased Les Paul, than another, Jeff Beck? Beck, alongside Irish rockabilly songbird Imelda May, revisited Paul and his wife and lifelong collaborator Mary Ford's beloved version of the jazz standard ''How High the Moon.'' While the unknown May (possibly lipsynching?) didn't exactly write herself a star-making ticket, Beck shredded, as always. Grade: B

LIL WAYNE, EMINEM and DRAKE
The evening's only straight-up rap performance certainly didn't suffer from a shortage of major names: Lil Wayne, Eminem, Drake, and Blink-182's Travis Barker keeping the beat behind them. The emcees themselves didn't disappoint, either, kicking complex rhymes on ''Drop the World'' (one of the few redeeming songs on Wayne's new rock album Rebirth) or all-star posse cut ''Forever.'' If only overzealous bleeping hadn't marred both tunes. Grade: B-

More Grammys 2010 coverage from EW:
Grammy Awards 2010: Best/Worst Style
Grammys style: Rate 21 looks