Music The best and worst moments from the 2024 Grammy Awards We've got a fast car and it's full of moments. By Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where he covers breaking news, all things Real Housewives, and a rich cornucopia of popular culture. Formerly a senior editor at Out magazine, his work has appeared on NewNowNext, Queerty, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. He was also the first author signed to Phoebe Robinson's Tiny Reparations imprint. He met Oprah once. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on February 5, 2024 12:59AM EST The Grammys are always a grab bag of performances ranging from great to "huh," questionable wins, and even more questionable random moments all wrapped up in a too-long package. Though this year's show wasn't able to benefit from the 50th anniversary of hip-hop — which provided a number of the highlights at last year's ceremony — the 66th annual Grammy Awards chugged along rather smoothly. Honestly, it was hard to find any "worst" moments, making the Grammys somehow the least offensive awards show. That in itself is a bit disappointing, but, you know, things change. Check out the mostly best moments from the 2024 Grammys below. 01 of 11 Worst: Rain? In L.A.? Groundbreaking. Meryl Streep at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Kevin Mazur/Getty The rain in the usually arid Los Angeles led to some celebs floating in late to the ceremony, and poor Trevor Noah had to do his darndest to stall for time. Presenting with her son-in-law Mark Ronson, Miranda "It's just, I don't know, drizzling" Priestley herself Meryl Streep strolled in seconds after Noah had bantered with her empty chair, which was delightful, and then Taylor Swift did the same thing and it felt maybe a bit orchestrated. Either way, Mother Nature's clearly not a fan of a tight opening monologue. 02 of 11 Best: Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs duet on 'Fast Car' Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs perform at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty The Grammys are at their best when they pair artists across generations and it was a no-brainer to try and get Tracy Chapman to duet with Luke Combs on "Fast Car," which he drove up the charts 35 years after Chapman first released it. Getting the reclusive Chapman to actually show up was already a coup, but seeing Combs singing along to Chapman as she performed alongside him was just plain adorable. 03 of 11 Best: MC² Mariah Carey and Miley Cyrus at the 2024 Grammy Awards. JC Olivera/WireImage When Miley Cyrus won her first Grammy (Best Pop Vocal Performance for her earworm "Flowers"), she seemed at least as equally excited about receiving the award from Mariah Carey, inviting the chanteuse to stand next to her as she delivered her speech. "This M.C. is going to stand next to this M.C. because it's just too iconic." Now, "iconic" is often overused, but when it refers to actual icons, it's highly appropriate. 04 of 11 Best: Dua Lipa's core strength Dua Lipa performs at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Dua Lipa opened the show with an elaborate production of "Houdini," whose most impressive aspect was the singer's ability to not only hold herself upright but also sing while hanging off a scaffold being rotated by multiple shirtless men. Harry Houdini could never. 05 of 11 Best: Miley gives Tina her 'Flowers' Miley Cyrus performs at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images Miley and her Mariah Divas Live hair were feeling themselves and Cyrus' self-possession was almost as wonderful to see as the height of her hair. And then there was her first televised performance of "Flowers," (her third time performing it live ever) for which Cyrus channeled the late, forever great Tina Turner, reminding everyone that not only did she win her first Grammy but that Hannah Montana's grown into one of the best rock vocalists we have today. Bonus points go to Oprah Winfrey, who was spotted singing along in classic Oprah fashion in the audience. 06 of 11 Best: 'Nothing Compares 2' Annie Lennox Annie Lennox performs at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Amy Sussman/Getty Images The always soulful Annie Lennox brought the necessary gravitas for the In Memoriam segment, performing "Nothing Compares 2 U" by the late Prince in honor of the late Sinéad O'Connor. Simple and understated, it was the most effective and moving of the night's tributes. 07 of 11 Worst: Jay-Z reminding his wife she's never won Album of the Year Beyoncé and Jay-Z at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Kevin Mazur/Getty Listen, Beyoncé knows how many Album of the Year Grammys she's lost. No need to bring it up, Jay-Z. But that's what Mr. Knowles Carter did when he received the Global Impact Award, which he didn't really seem to care about considering his fraught history with the Grammys. But, hey, that family just added another Grammy to its vast collection (even though none of them are Album of the Year). 08 of 11 Best: Fan-Tina Fantasia Barrino performs at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Amy Sussman/Getty Images The Grammys finally realized what the BET Awards have known for years: If you need a musical tribute, you get Fantasia Barrino. Having made an epic comeback of her own, Barrino was a natural choice to belt the hell out of "Proud Mary" — even though Beyoncé was sitting right there, but we already got one of those — and The Color Purple star delivered with a performance that ran river deep and mountain high. Turner's legacy looms large over this Grammys, as befits the Queen of Rock and Roll. 09 of 11 Best: Joni Mitchell's first Grammys performance Joni Mitchell performs at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Amy Sussman/Getty Images Why did it take more than 50 years for Joni Mitchell to sing at the Grammys? Who was asleep at the wheel of that big yellow taxi, people? No matter, at 80, Mitchell’s lost none of her power to transfix as a singer. Her heartbreaking rendition of “Both Sides Now" in which pal Brandi Carlile accompanied her, had the entire room stunned into silence, as if everyone present knew just how special this moment was. This was Mitchell’s first — and possibly last — performance at the Grammys, and it was perfect. Between Joni and Tracy, this ranks as one of the best Grammy ceremonies ever. 10 of 11 Meh: The pre-taped video segments Billy Joel at the 2024 Grammys. cbs The Grammys are already way too long, even by awards show standards, but producers always get an itch to make it just a bit longer. The performances are the main draw here, but the videos before the performances just felt like time better spent getting out of there. Sure, some videos provided context — like the Tracy Chapman, Joni Mitchell, and Billy Joel performances — but others were just hanging out, eating up precious airtime. 11 of 11 Best: Céline, we love you! Celine Dion at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images We love you Céline Dion. That's all. Related content: See all the stars at the 2024 Grammy Awards Grammy Awards 2024: See the complete list of winner Surprise! 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