Monday, March 14, 2011

Aretha Franklin Tribute Declared Best Grammy Performance By Readers

MTV News voters give props to Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and more for their set.
By Kyle Anderson


Yolanda Adams, Martina McBride and Christina Aguilera perform during the 53rd annual Grammy Awards
Photo: Getty Images

In the lead-up to the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, MTV News readers cast their votes for the performance they were most excited to see. The Aretha Franklin tribute, which featured Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Martina McBride and Yolanda Adams, ended up taking home the bulk of the vote.

Once Sunday's show was over, we asked people to vote for their favorite performance of the night. Was it the triumphant return of Dr. Dre? The stage-owning performance by Justin Bieber? Or perhaps it was Arcade Fire's eye-popping run to close out the show?

But in the end, the tribute to Franklin stood supreme once again. The five-diva performance — which ran through some of Franklin's biggest hits over the course of her five-decade career — picked up 39 percent of the total vote to take first place. "No doubt its xtina and the gang!" wrote commenter Sef. "No eggs or crazy gimmicks but still they entertained the crowd. They all sound amazing!"

Of course, that comment was in reference to Lady Gaga's egg-assisted run through "Born This Way" during the show's first hour. That performance racked up 27 percent of the vote to finish in second place. The three-way combination of Justin Bieber, Usher and Jaden Smith was right behind Gaga with 22 percent. "Justin Bieber, Usher and Jaden Smith did an amazing job," commenter BelieberForever96 wrote. "It was awesome. They should win."

Only Eminem, Dr. Dre and Rihanna's performances of "Love the Way You Lie" and "I Need a Doctor" managed to put much of a dent in the voting beyond that point, as they picked up 6 percent despite some very vocal support in the comments section and on Facebook. Album of the Year winner Arcade Fire's pair of songs earned only 1.5 percent, and Muse's take on "Uprising" cobbled together 1 percent. And the least-voted-for performance award goes to Miranda Lambert, whose presentation of "The House That Built Me" did not ignite the voters' enthusiasm.

What was your favorite Grammy performance? Let us know in the comments!

For more Grammy Awards analysis, interviews, fashion and more, stick with MTV News!

Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists

Kate Moss Katie Couric Kealla Kennelly

No comments:

Post a Comment