The 4 best and 4 worst performances at the 2023 Grammys (2024)

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Bad Bunny kicked off the 65th annual Grammys by turning the ceremony into a dance party.

It's rare for the Grammys to kick off with so much energy and excitement, but Bad Bunny's gloves-off rendition of "Después de la Playa" made sure to change that.

The 28-year-old superstar brought some much-needed fun and Caribbean flavor to the ceremony, all while paying tribute to his Puerto Rican traditions and personal influences.

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Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Run-D.M.C., and more delivered a thrilling medley of hip-hop classics.

The Grammys pulled out all the stops for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, welcoming a huge array of legends that spanned generations, from Grandmaster Flash, Salt-N-Pepa, and Rakim to Lil Baby, GloRilla, and Lil Uzi Vert.

Produced by Questlove, the segment was an exhilarating highlight during an otherwise straightforward ceremony — especially when Missy Elliot took over with "Lose Control," a smash hit for the ages.

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Sam Smith and Kim Petras channeled devilish energy for their triumphant performance of "Unholy."

After their unconventional "Saturday Night Live" set was met with mixed reviews, Sam Smith and Kim Petras turned up the heat to perform their chart-topping hit "Unholy" on the Grammys stage — not long after they won best pop duo/group performance, becoming the first openly non-binary and trans artists, respectively, to do so.

Introduced by Madonna, who praised their "scandalous" energy, the duo took the song's title literally with deep red lighting and satanic costumes.

The whole thing was over the top and it worked perfectly, with Smith and Petras' live vocals sounding better than ever.

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Brandi Carlile's powerful vocals made "Broken Horses" a highlight.

Brandi Carlile embodied rock 'n' roll with her raw rendition of "Broken Horses," which won best rock performance and best rock song earlier in the evening.

Her performance was made even more poignant by its prelude, which was delivered by Carlile's wife, Catherine Shepherd, and the couple's two small children.

"Millions of you watching tonight fell in love with the next performer four years ago when she took the Grammys stage for the first time and delivered one of the most iconic performances in Grammy history," Shepherd said. "I was lucky enough to marry her more than a decade ago, so I was way ahead of you."

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Luke Combs was a snooze.

I don't have many nuances to offer here: Luke Combs' faithful rendition of "Going, Going, Gone" was boring.

The performance simply paled in comparison to high-energy sets from earlier in the evening, and it didn't help that it was backlit by a massive full moon — serving as an unwelcome reminder of how long the Grammys tend to stretch into the night.

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Harry Styles, who is usually magnetic onstage, delivered an underwhelming rendition of "As It Was."

Harry Styles' rotating set design, ostensibly inspired by the "As It Was" music video, didn't translate well to a live performance.

Styles is at his best when he can move, jump, and shimmy freely, as evidenced by his beloved Love On Tour concerts. At the Grammys, his charisma felt hindered by careful blocking and choreography, as well as a too-long theatrical interlude.

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Mary J. Blige sounded great, but her performance had bad timing.

Mary J. Blige had the misfortune of taking the stage immediately after Beyoncé accepted the award for best dance/electronic album — her record-breaking 32nd Grammy, which inspired an emotional speech.

Earlier in the evening, Blige lost best traditional R&B performance and best R&B song to Beyoncé herself. The timing of Blige's performance felt a little awkward, and it was hard to focus on anything after Beyoncé's history-making triumph.

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For such a fun song, Steve Lacy's performance of "Bad Habits" was a little dull.

Maybe Steve Lacy has grown tired of performing "Bad Habits," but the usually funky musician didn't seem too enthused to perform his biggest hit at the Grammys.

I can't speak to how the performance went over in person, but somehow through a TV screen, it didn't quite click. Pitchfork even accused Lacy of "weak vocals and awkward dancing."