The 55th annual Grammy awards took to the Staples Center last night with nary a major shocker, save for the standard fare of bleeped F-bombs plus a joint appearance by Chris Brown and Rihanna. It was a welcome return to relative normalcy for a weekend of events that last year scrambled to reshuffle after the death of Whitney Houston just before showtime.
Returning host LL Cool J showed his versatility and earned his keep by changing out of his dress clothes to perform in the evening's finale. This was in addition to his hosting duties, which included conspicuously hyping the awards' relevant social media hashtags and handles.
In a bit of a format change, the Grammy’s pre-telecast ceremony took place live for the first time at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live prior to the awards. But the majority of events on the landscape looked otherwise familiar from past years. That included the Recording Academy's official after-party, which was held at Los Angeles Convention Center and had a Bollywood-inspired theme, Saturday night's Pre-Grammy Gala presented by the academy and Clive Davis at the Beverly Hilton, and the Cash Money Records' pre-Grammy party at the Lot.
Here's a closer look inside the big events surrounding the show the Recording Academy bills as "music's biggest night."
Recording Academy "Grammy Celebration" Official After-Party
Costumed dancers entertained from multiple platforms around the massive space.
Photo: Courtesy of the Recording Academy/Line 8 Photography © 2013
Recording Academy "Grammy Celebration" Official After-Party
Branden Chapman, Rex Supa, Clay Upton, and Casey Immoor headed up the Recording Academy's official bash, and Along Came Mary Productions, helmed by longtime collaborator Mary Micucci, once again produced the affair. Inspired by Bollywood, the post-ceremony event took over a space the size of three football fields with entertainers, dancers, acrobats, projections, elevated lounges, and design evocative of the the world of Indian films. A massive covered decor piece in the center of the space served as a raised stage for dancers; it included a working fountain filled with flowers and was surrounded by bench seating.
Photo: Courtesy of the Recording Academy/Line 8 Photography © 2013
Recording Academy "Grammy Celebration" Official After-Party
Indian-inspired tents covered seating groups and bars.
Photo: Courtesy of the Recording Academy/Line 8 Photography © 2013
Recording Academy "Grammy Celebration" Official After-Party
A Bollywood prop served as a conversation piece adjacent to Along Came Mary's buffet stations, which offered curries, Hindi sweets like Bombay kulfi and kaffir lime bars, and other on-theme fare.
Photo: Courtesy of the Recording Academy/Line 8 Photography © 2013
Recording Academy "Grammy Celebration" Official After-Party
Jewel tones added bright pops of color to the enormous space, with linens, lanterns, and other decor pieces all decked out in bold orange, purple, pink, and red hues.
Photo: Courtesy of the Recording Academy/Line 8 Photography © 2013
Recording Academy "Grammy Celebration" Official After-Party
A colorful stage served as a splashy backdrop for performances by the B-52s, Estelle, and DJ Michelle Pesce.
Photo: Courtesy of the Recording Academy/Line 8 Photography © 2013
Grammys Special Merit Awards
For the Grammys Special Merit Awards at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 15/40 Productions took its cue for the lighting from the Recording Academy's invitation. The invite had a relief of an intricate pattern, evocative of, say, the style of an Indian henna tattoo in a deep wine color. The production company translated that look into the design and decor, including an ornate lighting pattern.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.
Cash Money Records Pre-Grammy Awards Party
Colin Cowie returned to produce Cash Money Records' annual preparty with a vintage Las Vegas theme—think Rat Pack mixed with Crazy Horse. At the entrance to the soundstage at the Lot in West Hollywood was a vintage 1951 Cadillac convertible. Inside the space, there were palm trees throughout along with a section of cabanas.
Photo: Colin Miller
Cash Money Records Pre-Grammy Awards Party
Of course, there was also neon, in the form of a custom Cash Money Records sign.
Photo: Colin Miller
mPowering Action Pre Grammy Event
On Friday, L.A. Live's Conga Room was the backdrop for the launch of the mPowering Action mobile platform, an entertainment-driven initiative aimed at empowering youth through mobile phones.
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Tribal Brands
mPowering Action Pre-Grammy Event
The event included a surprise performance by Justin Timberlake and special appearances by artists like Timbaland, who, alongside Agnes Monica, made the U.S. debut of the first song for the mPowering Action mobile platform. DJ Avicii (pictured) drew a packed, celebrity-heavy crowd of fans.
Photo: Chris Weeks/Getty Images for Tribal Brands
Levi's Pre-Grammys Event
Taking over the Ace Museum on Friday night, Levi's celebrated 140 years of the 501 jean. Working alongside senior manager of entertainment marketing Greg Sato, the Visionary Group turned the raw venue into an industrial and minimalist event space for 600 guests. Custom-designed pieces for the event, like five steel bars, complemented the gallery-like installations meant to honor decades of Levi's history. M83's Anthony Gonzalez served as DJ, and Frank Ocean performed.
Photo: Ryan Haag/the Visionary Group
Family Equality Council Awards Dinner
The Family Equality Council held its annual awards dinner honoring notables in the world of arts, entertainment, politics, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community for their efforts to advance equality. Recognize that splashy, sunny motif from HBO's Emmy party?
Photo: Charley Gallay/WireImage
"Friends 'N' Family" Pre-Grammy Party
On Friday, AAM founders Mark Beaven and Andy Kipnes hosted their 16th annual pre-Grammy event, known as "Friends 'N' Family," with top music industry executives. Music came from the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen and Paul Oakenfold, while guests could play ping-pong at tables. Rebel Industries and Big Time Affairs produced the party at the Paramount lot. For the fourth year, the event benefited Rock the Vote.
Photo: Alex Plank/Guest of a Guest
Delta "Nonstop NYC Challenge" Grammy Week Kickoff
Kicking things off early on February 4, Delta Air Lines (the awards' official airline) hosted a private concert by Fun. at the SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills. The concert was part of Delta’s "Nonstop NYC Challenge," which awarded winners a charter flight from New York to Los Angeles. In addition to the show, winners also received a private dinner hosted by chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa at Nobu Malibu and a performance by comedian Aziz Ansari.
Photo: Getty Images
Delta Pre-Grammys Event at the Getty House
MKG produced Delta's pre-Grammy event at the Getty House, all done in a tented party space in the brand's signature red. Seating samples in the event space showed off Delta's Business Elite experience, and a Delta Sky Luxury Bar was meant to give a sample of the experience offered at some Delta Sky Clubs in airports. Jermaine Dupri was the DJ.
Photo: Getty Images
Sonos Studio Pre-Grammy Event
Sonos Studio hosted an event curated by Janelle Monáe that transformed the venue with a ceiling full of balloons and a grass floor complete with croquet set.
Photo: Charley Gallay/WireImage
Sonos Studio Pre-Grammy Event
Sonos worked collaboratively with Wondaland Arts Society, an artists organization founded by Monáe and like-minded young artists, to bring the whimsical event to life.
Photo: Charley Gallay/WireImage
'Essence' Black Women in Music Pre-Grammy Event
Essence magazine hosted its fourth annual "Black Women in Music" event at Greystone Manor on February 6 with performances by Lianne La Havas and Solange Knowles. Illuminated crystalline chandeliers hung overhead, and a bold logo gobo announced the host.
Photo: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup
Red Light Management's Grammy Awards After-Party
Red Light Management's Grammys after-party took over a tented space at the Mondrian with production by Gina Wade Creative. Chandeliers hung from a clear-top tent under which trees created an indoor-outdoor look.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan
