The 52nd Grammy Awards ceremony opened with Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John, both fashionistas in their own right, who bowled over the audience with their performance of John’s “Your Song” and Gaga’s new single “Speechless”.

There were many performances worth mentioning, but apart from the Gaga/Elton duet, three performances stood out.

Pink took the stage in a simple cowl robe then stripped down to a see through bodysuit with strips of white strategically placed. She performed suspended from a trapeze and without missing a beat, hit the notes to “Glitter In The Air”. Adding more to her show, Pink was drenched in water as she spun above the audience, bringing her performance to a soaking climax.

Jamie Foxx (looking like Captain Crunch) and T-Pain (dressed in all-white) killed with their performance of “Blame It” when they merged opera, hip hop, R&B, rap and rock to deliver a superb showing. What began as ‘hip hopera’ ended with old school rapper Doug E. Fresh adding a beat box component and celebrated rocker Slash, kicking it up a notch with some hard rock on his electric guitar.

The tribute performance of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” with Celine Dion, Usher, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Hudson and Carrie Underwood was both heartfelt and deftly executed. The audience watched a 3-D mini movie as the artistes sing with Michael.

Perhaps we have become accustomed to high energy performances from Beyonce, but her performance this year left some people wanting. First, she chose “If I Were A Boy”, which doesn’t allow for much dancing. Then, she messed up on the lyrics for Alanis Morrisette’s “You Oughta Know” – which is sacrilege – though that didn’t stop the crowd from going wild.

But, the night still belonged to Beyonce, who set a new record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artiste in a single night. She was nominated for 10 awards and snagged six.

Country sweetheart Taylor Swift came in a close enough second with four of the eight she was nominated for. Super group Black Eyed Peas and Kings of Leon took home three awards each. Lady Gaga, whose funky fashion and vocal style have been dominating the scene, came away with two.

In the reggae category, which is still not a part of the show, Stephen Marley took home his seventh Grammy, this time for Best Reggae Album for Mind Control (Acoustic Version).

His older brother, Ziggy copped his fifth Grammy award, this time in the children’s musical album category for Family Time.

Reggae icon Bob Marley’s 1973 album with the Wailers, Catch a Fire, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame this year. In 2001 he received a lifetime achievement award.

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