Whoever first said, “The show must go on,” couldn’t possibly have understood what they were inflicting on us. For one thing: The 2020 American Music Awards, which aired live Sunday night from a mostly empty Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The audience, as it were, was confined to socially distanced pods in the venue’s balcony. “We invited them in small groups from the same families,” host Taraji P. Henson explained. “They are all socially distanced, wearing masks, covid tested. Yes, we are very responsible, and like everyone else here, just happy to be out of the house.” I don’t know, a walk around the block does a lot more for my mood than a half-assed awards show, but maybe that’s just me.
The orchestra section contained a bunch of cut-outs of celebrities, with whom Henson riffed at one point (???). There’s nothing like watching someone have a conversation with cardboard to make you wonder what you’re doing with your night, and what other people are doing with theirs, and perhaps what we think we’re trying to accomplish at this point, as a culture.
There were winners. You can read the list for yourself, if you like. Taylor Swift was named Artist of the Year and said in her prerecorded speech that she didn’t attend the ceremony because she’s so busy re-recording her songs as a result of her masters being sold (first to Scooter Braun and then a private equity firm). At a time of great economic peril, it’s so nice to hear that Taylor Swift is doing everything she can to add to her mountain of cash. At least someone is thriving! 🙂
Then there were the performances. There sure were. Many of them took place in the Microsoft Theater. Most of them were virtually lifeless, perhaps suggesting what a difference a crowd can make. Performers had no energy from which to feed. Nelly sleepwalked his way through a medley of his early hits in a performance commemorating the 20th anniversary of his debut, Country Grammar.
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