Grammy Awards 2012 live blog

By Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff

“And in the End”

Paul McCartney and his ace band return to close out the night with the “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End” portion of the side-two suite from “Abbey Road.” They are joined by Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, and Dave Grohl. It is sloppy and joyous. So let’s tally: two appearances by Chris Brown, two by Bruce Springsteen, two by Paul McCartney, and three by Dave Grohl. Dave Grohl wins the Grammys! (And boy, did he really, as Foo Fighters scooped up five awards of their own.)

11:19 Clean sweep

Album of the Year: Adele, “21” A delightfully overwhelmed Adele — surrounded by her co-writers and producers — cries and thanks everyone, has a slight snot issue, and revels in her moment. It is lovely. Good for her.

11:10 “This is ridiculous!”

Record of the Year: Adele, “Rolling in the Deep.” Another short, simple acceptance speech with a shout out to pop radio programmers.

11:05 Horror Show

Nicki Minaj decided that she would like to audition for a movie just like Katy Perry. Nicki’s movie is a horror movie about exorcism, dancing, levitation, and cleavage.

10:52 Dead-Skrill-Foo-Brown-uetta?

I confess: Those Deadmau5 heads kind of frighten me. This whole segment with him, David Guetta, Foo Fighters (again), Skrillex, and Chris Brown (again) is a colorful but confusing mash-up that seems like it would require mood-altering enhancement to fully understand.

10:39 In Memoriam

It was a very tough year, with some hard losses including: Amy Winehouse, Nick Ashford, Phoebe Snow, Jerry Leiber, Heavy D, Sylvia Robinson, Ferlin Husky, Marv Tarplin, Clare Fischer, Bert Jansch, Bill Morrissey, Gary Moore, Clarence Clemons, and many more. And of course, this year, Whitney Houston. This segment leads directly into the Whitney tribute. It is simple, and beautiful, and oh, so sad as Jennifer Hudson sings “I Will Always Love You.”

10:31 It Had to Be You

Tony Bennett and Carrie Underwood croon a pretty tune and continue to raise the class level as the night progresses. We should all be so lucky at 85, to be as with it as Bennett.

10:20 Triumph part II

If Adele’s return was the first, then Glen Campbell taking to the stage at the end of his tribute to robustly belt out “Rhinestone Cowboy” was the second. That is how you do the generation-spanning collaboration.

10:16 A Tribute to Glen Campbell

It’s so lovely when artists are able to pay tribute to pioneers while they are still with us to appreciate it. Nice work by the Band Perry and Blake Shelton.

9:58 Best Country Album

Lady Antebellum, “Own the Night.” And now that they’ve won multiple times, they own the Grammys. The Grammys love a repeat by a big name.

9:53 Part of Me

I believe Katy Perry just auditioned for her own superhero movie role, and I believe some Hollywood producers are seriously considering it.

9:50 Song of the Year

“Rolling in the Deep.” This is a songwriter’s award and it goes to Adele and Paul Epworth who do the mutual admiration society shuffle. Sweet.

9:40 Mean

Was this the conversation the Grammy producers had for the Taylor Swift performance: “How many washboards, shingles, jugs, and dilapidated walls constitute ‘country’?” “Just get as many as possible and stick ’em together!” It seems downright … not nice.

9:37 Best R&B Album

Chris Brown.

9:31 Ebony and Ivory

Stevie Wonder sends love up to Whitney and then whips out his harmonica to rock a bit of “Love Me Do,” calling himself one of the world’s biggest McCartney fans. With help from a string section, Joe Walsh, and album producer Diana Krall, Macca sings one of the new tracks, the melancholy “My Valentine” from his standards album “Kisses From the Bottom.”

9:18 Wouldn’t it be nice?

Well it could be better, that’s for sure. A tribute to the reuniting Beach Boys, or the remaining Beach Boys that is, includes “Surfer Girl” from Maroon 5 and “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” from Foster the People, who are looking very much like the Wonders from “That Thing You Do.” Where are the Shins when you need them?

9:16 Vive Le Rock!

Dave Grohl talks about making music from the heart and working the old-fashioned way — a dig at the lip-synching crowd, perhaps? — praises producer Butch Vig and then gets cut off? But not before he could say “Long live rock and roll!” Amen, brother.

9:12 Best Rock Performance

Foooooo! (And my pick to win.)

9:07 Where’s Pink?

Because, seriously, we need to get this party started. From the ad-to-show ratio and the lack of wow performances thus far, I’m getting concerned about the next two hours and 23 minutes. And now Willie Nelson is singing a Coldplay song in a commercial for Chipotle? What is happening!?

8:56 Rih-oldplay

That’s a lotta dancers. I’m confused by the Tina wig, the live vocals plus backing track. And here comes Chris Martin. Incongruous segue much?

8:51 Am I the only one…

…who was hoping that Dave Grohl might do some kind of Whitney interpolation into “Walk”?

8:46 Fighting the good Foo

Jack Black talking about indie cred? Um, you’re a movie star. He introduces Foo Fighters who apparently have already won a quartet of trophies tonight. All deserved I’m sure as their album “Wasting Light” is their best in years. I wonder if the Foos wanted to play outside so they didn’t have to get all dressed up?

8:37 Don’t You Wanna Stay?

I don’t love Kelly Clarkson’s bangs but I love this duet with Jason Aldean. So romantic and a real bona fide duet. She raises the game of everyone she sings with.

8:35 Best Rap Performance

Jay-Z and Kanye West for “Otis.” Really, neither one of them is there?

8:26 Turn up the music

Chris Brown shows off his considerable dance floor prowess.

8:25 She thanks co-writer Dan Wilson, a tremendous songwriter, late of the band Semisonic and the doctors who brought her voice back. It’s brief but emotional and sweet.

8:24 Best Pop Solo Performance: “Someone Like You.” Let the Adele sweep begin!

8:20 Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt now take the stage to pay tribute to Etta James with a lovely rendition of “Sunday Kind of Love.”

8:11 A somber beginning

Our second performance comes from Bruno Mars who is tearing it up, old school soul style and gives our first performance shout-out to Whitney.

8:05 And the host is ...

Here comes your host, not coincidentally, CBS star LL Cool J. He begins the night with a solemn prayer for Whitney Houston and gives props to her lasting legacy. Bring on the video tribute to that legacy: a stunning clip of her singing “I Will Always Love You” on a previous Grammy telecast, which receives a standing ovation. Gosh, truly gone too soon, heartbreaking. LL also talks about celebrating life in song. He then welcomes Adele, with a front row seat, back to the show. Also in the front row “Sir O.G.” Paul McCartney. He pumps up the crowd saying there will be dance and song and healing thanks to the music! Go get ‘em LL.