Grammy Awards 2015: Top 5 Moments From the Show
— -- The Grammy Awards' executive producer, Ken Ehrlich promised that the night would be jam-packed with jaw-dropping moments, and he wasn't wrong.
From the moment AC/DC kicked off the show in Los Angeles with their song "Highway to Hell," until the end, the crowd hardly left their feet, cheering for the performers as well as the winners.
"I think one of the things about this show is that I think people really do care about who wins Grammys," Ehrlich told ABC News before the show. "And I certainly know the artists care. So, you know, it makes it a more interesting show. There's a story to it, in addition to these great performances."
In case you missed it, here were five of the night's most memorable moments:
1. The Performances: The night was jam-packed with performances from newcomers, including Hozier and Ariana Grande, to veterans (ELO's performance of "Evil Woman" and "Mr. Blue Sky" had the likes of Paul McCartney and Beyoncé standing, Annie Lennox practically caused Twitter to implode, and Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica brought a smile to the audiences' faces). Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga made quite a duo, Miranda Lambert's rendition of "Little Red Wagon" brought down the house, and so did Madonna's performance of her new hit "Living for Love." (It didn't hurt that the 56-year-old showed off some serious leg.) Kanye West made his return to the Grammys stage after several years, first to perform his emotional new song, "Only One," and then, to join McCartney and Rihanna for their song "FourFive Seconds." The night ended on a powerful note, with a performance by Beyoncé and then John Legend and Common singing their Oscar-nominated song, "Glory."
2. Sam Smith's Big Night: Smith said early on that he hoped to take home the Best New Artist trophy, and he got his wish. Fighting back tears of joy, he said to the crowd, "To mom and dad, I won a Grammy!" His huge night continued with wins for Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. "It was only until I started to be myself that the music started to flow and people started to listen," he told the crowd. However, his night wasn't all about winning awards: He also performed "Stay With Me" with Mary J. Blige.
3. Brooke Axtell's Poignant Address: After President Barack Obama made a public service announcement about domestic violence, activist Brooke Axtell performed a spoken word piece about her experience with abuse. "Authentic love does not devalue another human being. Authentic love does not silence shame or abuse," she told the audience. "If you are in a relationship with someone who does not honor and respect you, I want you to know that you are worth of love. Please reach out for help. Your voice will save you. Let it extend into the night. Let it part the darkness. Let it set you free to know who you truly are: valuable, beautiful, loved." With that, Katy Perry took the stage to deliver her emotional song, "By the Grace of God."
4. Kanye Taking the Stage When Beck Won Album of the Year: Remember when Kanye West stormed the stage at the 2009 VMA's to take the microphone from Taylor Swift, informing her, and the audience that Beyoncé deserved to win Best Female Video over her? At the Grammys, he reprised the joke -- sort of: When Beck took Album of the Year over Beyoncé, West took the stage before shaking his hand, smiling, and letting Beck finish.
5. Kristen Wiig Makes an Appearance: Sia doesn't show her face when she performs, so during her rendition "Chandelier," she let Kristen Wiig and "Dance Moms" star Maddie Ziegler, who also appeared in the video for the song, do a dance for her.
