The performances at the 2020 Grammy Awards have been nothing short of impressive; big performances from Lizzo, Billie Eilish, and Tyler, The Creator, a chaotic performance from Aerosmith with a 72-year-old Steve Tyler at the helm, and an impromptu acapella piece from host Alicia Keys and Boys II Men to honour the life of Kobe Bryant. But Lil Nas X brought probably the most involved performance of the night so far.
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Exploring every remix of his mammoth, chart-topping, record breaking track, ‘Old Town Road’ with just about every artist he collaborated with over 2019, Lil Nas X tore through the performance which ended in him going full Matrix Cowboy.
Walking through a rotating stage where every door visited a different collab, Lil Nas X performed a medley of the iterations of the biggest song of 2019 in a western suit and cowboy hat that had the same energies as the holographic contact paper I used to cover my schoolbooks in.
Starting in a space that looked like a teenage bedroom decorated with his cover shoots and a lovely nod to Kobe with his coveted #24 LA Lakers jersey, Lil Nas X launched into the huge hit and then opened the door to collab #1 with; BTS on Seoul Town Road.
Travelling around the rotating performance space which gave me huge Play School rocket clock vibes, Lil Nas X hitched his horse at stops with a banjo-laden Diplo, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Mason Ramsey. Young Thug was the only collaborator that was missing from the line-up, but Lil Nas X performed his verse without missing a beat.
BIGG BIGGGG THANK YOU TO BTS, MASON RAMSEY, DIPLO, BILLY RAY CYRUS, & NAS!!! 🏆
— pussy (@LilNasX) January 27, 2020
Things shifted into another gear and potentially dimension when Lil Nas ducked offstage and returned to perform ‘Rodeo’ in a long, shiny coat that rivals Neo from The Matrix, before “Big Nas” (Nas himself) appeared to rap alongside his namesake. Is this the next era of Lil Nas’ remix collab working-with-everyone-ever journey? Please say yes.
Oh and Lil Nas played the trumpet because…well why the fuck not.
Bless, this just looks like such a genuinely fun performance, check it all out below and tell me right here and now that 2020 isn’t going to bring a resurgence of shiny leather everything.
https://youtu.be/drojmpUCC2M
