The 57th Grammy Awards

The 57th Grammy Awards show, which was held on Sunday, Feb. 8, featured the new and the old. The opening act was definitely a throwback; AC/DC opened the show with their new song, “Rock or Bust,” from their 2014 album. This was the first time that AC/DC performed at the Grammys. The show also featured another throwback, Madonna, who performed “Living for Love.” In traditional Madonna performance style, the singer was of course hoisted in the air mid-song, and she also performed alongside several male dancers.

Kanye West also performed, along with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and several other widely known performers. Pop sensation Taylor Swift was among the nominees and also a presenter. .

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet took to the stage, singing a duet, and Chris Martin and Beck also performed a duet together. Gwen Stefani and Adam Levine, both judges of The Voice, sang “My Heart is Open,” while Jesse J., Tom Jones and Usher performed with Stevie Wonder. Miranda Lambert brought some country to the Grammys, performing a song from her Grammy-winning best country album of the year. Ariana Grande was also among the performers at the Grammys.

A feeling of nostalgia permeated the stage during the show, as several performances featured artists many haven’t heard from in a while. The aforementioned Tom Jones performance, as well as AC/DC, contributed to this vibe. Ed Sheeran joined the Electric Light Orchestra on the stage for a performance of ELO’s 1977 classic “Mr. Blue Sky.” Later, a collaboration between Hozier and Annie Lennox brought the crowd to their feet when the two hauntingly performed Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” and Lennox’s “I Put a Spell On You.” The latter is a cover of the  1956 song of the same name by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.

Awards from the night included Beck winning album of the year, which artists like Kanye West openly doubted. Beck even seemed surprised about the award. The album of the year was given to Beck for his album “Morning Phase.” Beyoncé and Jay Z took home the best R&B performance from the Grammy’s with “Drunk in Love.” Both artists stated that they were honored to win the award. Pharrell Williams topped pop artists like Taylor Swift and John Legend, winning best pop solo performance for his song “Happy.” Eminem scored big at the Grammys, winning best rap album and best song collaboration for his duet “Monster” with Rihanna.

Arguably the man of the night was Sam Smith, who received a slew of awards throughout the night in a variety of categories. Fairly early in the award show, Taylor Swift presented the award for the best new artist to the British singer. Smith would later go on to claim the awards for song of the year and record of the year, both for his single “Stay With Me,” which has since sky-rocketed on the charts. Smith also seized the award for best pop vocal album for his album “In the Lonely Hour.”

The late Joan Rivers was also honored at the Grammys; she won best spoken word album for “Diary of a Mad Diva.” The award was accepted by her daughter Melissa Rivers. The Grammys ended just the way it started – with a message; Beyoncé, John Legend and Common sang songs from the civil rights movie “Selma,” rocking the audience and sending a powerful message.

This year’s Grammy awards included the best of the best and also left a few audience members surprised, but this year the show really showcased two themes. These themes included stopping domestic violence and equality.