The 12 Most Memorable Moments from the 2016 Grammy Awards

By Hana Asbrink
Updated Feb 16, 2016 @ 5:00 am
Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

The Grammys are one of the most-anticipated shows of the awards season, and music’s biggest night, hosted by the ageless L.L. Cool J, certainly didn’t disappoint Monday in Los Angeles.

Stars including Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, and Meghan Trainor were among the top honorees at the Staples Center, while Rihanna missed out on the celebrations altogether due to illness.

Filled with electrifying performances and a string of touching tributes—and in some cases, like Lady Gaga's jaw-dropping David Bowie tribute (above), both!—the 58th annual Grammy Awards on CBS will be remembered as one of the most performance-heavy, superlative-inducing shows of its kind.

Ahead, more memorable moments from the evening.

RELATED: See All the Hot Looks from the 2016 Grammy Awards

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Taylor Swift's Show Open

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The 2016 Grammys kicked off with a rousing performance of “Out of the Woods” from the statement-making 1989 star, who went on to take home Album of the Year (as well as Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Music Video) honors later in the evening—but not before delivering a pointed acceptance speech.

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Lionel Richie's All-Star Tribute

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John Legend, Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor, Tyrese Gibson, and Luke Bryan all passed the mic singing Lionel Richie's biggest hits, before the legendary crooner himself jumped onstage shortly after to join in on the chorus.

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Stevie Wonder's Earth, Wind & Fire Tribute—and Sense of Humor!

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Stevie Wonder and Pentatonix honored the late Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire with an acapella version of “That's the Way of the World," before joking about reading the winner's card for Best Pop Solo Performance for Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud," the 24-year-old singer's first Grammy.

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Hamilton Sneak Peek

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The cast of Broadway's much-buzzed hip-hop musical Hamilton treated the Grammy audience to a charged performance directly from their New York stage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Composer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda even rapped his acceptance speech for Best Musical Theater Album.

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Gaga’s Tribute to David Bowie

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Her recent Global Globe win may have put a spotlight on her onscreen talents, but make no mistake: Gaga is a stage performer through and through. She fully channeled David Bowie in her powerful tribute medley to the late iconic rocker, letting us all know Mother Monster ain’t goin’ nowhere.

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Adele's "All I Ask"

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The British powerhouse may not have qualified for this year's awards, but—simply put—we can never get enough Adele. Not even when audio issues plagued her performance of "All I Ask," which still managed to be otherworldly in its own right.

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Meghan Trainor's Pure Emotion

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It was hard not to get choked-up watching the "All About That Bass" star (and her proud, tearful dad) give an emotional acceptance speech after getting crowned Best New Artist. Afterwards, she shared with InStyle sound advice for all aspiring singers and songwriters. "Just do it. Keep doing it. Every day write a song. When you have 200, write 500. When you have 500, write 1,000. And don’t stop writing until you get to where you want to be. I wrote a song two days ago. Keep going."

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Justin Bieber's First Grammy Win

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Justin Bieber won his first-ever Grammy, an early honor for Best Dance Recording for "Where Are Ü Now," his collaboration with Skrillex and Diplo, and Beliebers everywhere just about lost it.

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Kendrick Lamar’s Fiery Performance

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In one of the most memorable and impressive acts of the night, Lamar lit up the stage—literally—performing “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright.” While leading the field with a whopping 11 nominations, the artist took home just one for Best Rap Album (To Pimp a Butterfly).

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The Hollywood Vampires Delivered

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The much-anticipated Lemmy Kilmister tribute from The Hollywood Vampires, the supergroup composed of Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper, and Joe Perry (along with Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum), made their television debut Monday night.

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Super Bowl 50 Reunion

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Just a week after their headline-making Super Bowl halftime performances, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars shared the stage once more when Queen Bey presented Record of the Year honors to Mars and Mark Ronson for "Uptown Funk."

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Traffic-Stopping Grand Finale

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The show was capped off with a party of a performance by Pitbull, who at one point was joined by Sofía Vergara in a taxi costume, before shaking her booty across the stage in a gold-fringed number. 

—With reporting by Brandi Fowler

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