Los Angeles » Adele, who captured the world’s heart with an album about a broken romance, emerged as the top winner at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, winning six trophies including the prestigious trifecta of record, song and album of the year.
The singer, who also made a triumphant comeback from vocal cord surgery with a performance on the Grammy stage, sobbed as she won the night’s final award, album of the year, for "21." It was last year’s top-selling album with more than 6 million sold and remains lodged at the No. 1 spot on this year’s charts.
Her victories tied her with Beyoncé as the most wins by a woman in one evening.
"Mom, gold is good!" Adele shouted as she took the album of the year trophy.
The celebration of Adele, a big-voiced, soulful singer, came on a night where the Grammys marked the loss of one of music’s great female voices: Whitney Houston, who died the night before.
But while her death lent a somber overtone to the evening’s show, it did not overwhelm it, perhaps best proved by the show’s closing number, a rollicking jam session featuring Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Dave Grohl among others.
The night’s other big winners were Grohl’s Foo Fighters, who won five Grammys. They noted that they made their album "Wasting Light" in a garage.
"To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of making music is what’s most important. Singing into a microphone, learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that’s the most important thing for people to do," Grohl said as the band accepted the best rock performance trophy for "Walk."
"It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about sounding absolutely correct. It’s not about what goes on in a computer. It’s about what goes on in here (your heart) and what goes on here (your head). … Long live rock ‘n’ roll!"
Among the evening’s performances was a dance-heavy number by Chris Brown and performances by McCartney and Springsteen.
The show, as usual, was heavy on performances more than awards. Among those was Brown, performing on the stage for the first time since he dropped out of 2009’s broadcast. His attack on Rihanna the night before led to both of their absences, an assault charge for Brown and a career low.
But 2011 marked an amazing comeback for Brown, and he was rewarded with two planned performances during the show, the first time he and Rihanna performed at the same event since the attack (she sang solo and with Coldplay during the awards ceremony).
Brown also won best R&B album: "First and foremost, I gotta thank God, and thank the Grammys for letting me get on this stage and do my thing," he said "All my fans, I love you. We got one. Thank you."
Justin Vernon, whose band Bon Iver beat Nicki Minaj, The Band Perry, J. Cole and Skrillex for best new artist, accepted the award with admittedly mixed emotions.
"It’s really hard to accept this award. Well, there’s so much talent out here, like on this stage. There’s a lot of talent that’s not here tonight. It’s also hard to accept because when I started to make songs, I did it for the inherent reward of making songs, so I’m a little bit uncomfortable up here," he said. "But with that discomfort I do have a sense of gratitude. I want to say thank you to all the nominees, all the non-nominees that have never been here and never will be here."
The Grammys did their best to keep a tone that balanced the many moods of the night: The Foo Fighters performed in a tent outside the Staples Center, where the awards were being held, amid a throng of bouncing fans; moments earlier, Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt had paid tribute to Etta James, the legend who died last month.
There was also a tribute to the recently reunited Beach Boys that featured Maroon 5, Foster the People and Mike Love, Al Jardine and Brian Wilson, the three remaining members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, all pitch-perfect as they brought the group’s California rock sound and harmonies back to life.
Glen Campbell, who announced his retirement last year after disclosing he had Alzheimer’s disease, also performed with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton, singing his classic hit "Rhinestone Cowboy."
The Foos and Brown returned for another dance-themed performance, a first for the Grammys. It also featured deadmau5, David Guetta and Lil Wayne.
And with Lady Gaga not performing, Minaj stepped in to give the night’s most bizarre/head-scratching performance. The rapper-singer’s number included a clip that referenced "The Exorcist" and a stage show that had her levitating on stage amid a churchlike background, with hooded choir members and religious imagery.
