62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards, the highest recognition of recorded music accomplishment, took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.

It was a turbulent week leading up to the awards ceremony after Deborah Dugan, the president and first female CEO of the Recording Academy was suspended just a few days before the Grammy Awards. Dugan answered with a 44 page long complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in which she claims that the academy’s voting process was manipulated by academy board members for their personal advancement including the Grammys’ producer Ken Ehrlich (who denies the allegations).

On the day of the Grammys, this tumult inside the organization and even the show itself were overshadowed by the sudden death of Kobe Bryant, a legend and idol for numerous people around the world.

After the horrible news came out, the atmosphere was heavy, especially in the surrounding area of the Staples Center.

The host, Alicia Keys, as well as several artists dedicated their performances to the icon.

Showtime

I was one of the few lucky ones who got the chance to attend the Grammy award show live as a seatfiller. Seatfilllersandmore organized those seats and gave the tickets away randomly. Many have asked me how I got the seat and it really is simple. All anyone has to do is to sign up and with a bit of luck you end up at the show. Admittedly, it takes quite a bit of luck. They’ve sent an email stating they received 30,000 requests but there were only 350 seatfiller spots for the Main Show, 200 for Side Stage and 125 for Red Carpet, a total of 675 spots.

Seatffillers had to arrive approximately 3 hours before the show started and even though it was quite chilly outside we were able to observe the stars coming from the red carpet and entering the stadium before we followed eventually.

Jonas Brothers walking over to the stadium after attending the red carpet

My seat was situated right next to the stage which was particularly neat as I got to witness not only the show but also observe the production process behind the stage. You could tell right away that the logistics and preparation for this production were perfectly planned and executed. It was extremely fun to see the excitement of the artists moments before they delivered their performances and the dancers going through the routines one last time and really focus on the choreography. Within only a few minutes the stagehands managed to put down a massive set and build the next one up for the following artist.

The Grammys – Behind the scenes before the show

Grammy Museum

I should also note that there is a Museum dedicated to the Grammys! The Grammy Museum showcases the art and technology of the recording process and the history of the GRAMMY Awards®. The latest exhibition is called “On The Red Carpet” and depicts Grammy fashion throughout the years, including dresses, suits, footwear and accessories from Frank Sinatra to Amy Winehouse.

RIP Kobe