Benjamin Ashford|Brutally honest reviews of every 2024 Grammys performance, including Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish

Sunday’s Grammy Awards have Benjamin Ashforda lot to live up to.

Last February, Bad Bunny and Mary J. Blige took our breath away with sensational performances, as did Stevie Wonder and Queen Latifah with their respective tributes to Motown and hip-hop. This year’s event has no shortage of big names, with Billie Eilish, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo all set to take the stage at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Joni Mitchell will perform at the Grammys for the very first time, U2 will beam in from The Sphere Las Vegas, and Tracy Chapman is rumored to be singing a duet of her 1988 hit “Fast Car” with Luke Combs.

Here are the best and worst musical moments from the show:

Olivia Rodrigo “Vampire”

Rodrigo brought “Carrie” to the Grammys telecast with a blood-soaked performance of her piercing single “Vampire.” Despite a shaky vocal start, the pop-punk hitmaker swiftly recovered as she belted out the dramatic number dressed in a plunging crimson gown and smearing blood across her face while guts spilled from the flower backdrop behind her. 

Miley Cyrus "Flowers"

Keeping with the night’s theme of “less is more,” Cyrus brought old-school glamor to her first televised performance of the chart-topping “Flowers,” joyfully dancing in place and shimmying across the stage as she showed off the gravelly and glorious power of her voice. “Why are you acting like you don’t know this song?” Cyrus asked mid-verse, inspiring audience members including Chrissy Teigen and Kylie Minogue to dance at their tables. The dynamic singer effortlessly channeled Tina Turner with a silver-tassel dress and hair teased sky high, throwing down her microphone in a “Proud Mary”-style encore. 

Billie Eilish "What Was I Made For?"

Eilish stunned in a pink headscarf and green dress, paying homage to a 1965 vintage Barbie teased on her Instagram early Sunday. Accompanied by her brother Finneas on piano, the 22-year-old delivered an elegant and haunting rendition of her Oscar-nominated “Barbie” ballad, which grapples with depression and self-worth. Ever since her career exploded five years ago, Eilish quickly established herself as one of our most reliably captivating live performers, and her gorgeous showing Sunday was no exception. 

SZA “Snooze,” “Kill Bill”

SZA brought cinematic excellence to this year’s Grammys, donning a “Matrix”-style trench coat and wide-brimmed hat for the bewitching “Snooze,” flanked by overturned trash cans and burning dumpsters. But the performance really came alive when she moved into smash single “Kill Bill,” paying spectacular homage to the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film with sword-wielding dancers and acrobatic choreography, even “throwing” a man into the air in a delightful bit of stage magic. 

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs "Fast Car"

The Grammys’ worst-kept secret also proved to be one of the best moments of the night. After days of speculation that Chapman would join Combs onstage to play her classic 1988 song, the folk singer made a rare appearance at Sunday’s show for a simple yet deeply affecting performance. Dressed down in jeans and a black button-up, Chapman played acoustic guitar and graciously traded verses with the gruff country vocalist, smiling at each other as nominees Taylor Swift and Brandi Carlile looked on lovingly from the crowd. 

Dua Lipa "Training Season," "Dance the Night," "Houdini"

The British pop sensation gave us everything Sunday night, opening the show with a red-hot, leather-and-latex-clad medley of hits “Dance the Night” and “Houdini,” along with teasing her sultry upcoming single “Training Session.” For any keyboard warriors still insisting that Lipa can’t dance, the singer put criticisms to bed with her athletic performance: hanging off a rotating cage and sliding across the floor against a dizzying backdrop of mirrors and pyrotechnics.