NEWS
Prince, The Clash and Frankie Valli were among those who received Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Grammys’ Special Merit Awards.
The ceremony took place on Saturday night (February 1) at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles, one night before the main Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
Hosted by the Recording Academy, the honour is given to artists who have made significant contributions to the music industry, and this year the award was also presented to funk artist Frankie Beverly, gospel singer Dr. Bobby Jones, prog blues musician Taj Mahal and rapper Roxanne Shante.
Recipients of the Trustee Awards were composers Erroll Garner and Tania Leon and producer Glyn Johns, while acoustic pioneer Dr. Leo Beranek picked up this year’s Technical Grammy Award.
Among those honouring Prince at the ceremony were Jimmy Jam, formerly of The Time, a Minneapolis band closely associated with the Purple One in his early career. “He had the best work ethic of anybody I ever met,” Jam said. “What that lesson taught me was that he saw me as better than I saw myself. I want to enlighten other people to their greatness.”
Public Enemy’s Chuck D was on hand to accept the award for punk icons The Clash, who read out a message from the band’s surviving members Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon. “As you heard our voice, we also heard yours,” concluded the message.
The 67th Grammy Awards go down tonight (February 2) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Comedian Trevor Noah will host the event for the fifth consecutive year and Beyoncé leads the way with 11 nominations, making her the most nominated artist in the awards’ history.
See the full list of this year’s nominees here.
The show will air live on CBS from 8pm EST in the US. Paramount+ subscribers with the Showtime add-on can also stream this year’s Grammys live at the same time. Fans in the UK will need to tune in from 1am on Monday, with Paramount+ streaming the ceremony live internationally.
Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter are all scheduled to appear. British artists Cynthia Erivo, RAYE, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin will also be joining the lineup.
Music legend Stevie Wonder will be leading a tribute to the late Quincy Jones alongside Janelle Monáe. This year, the ceremony will be helping to raise funds for those who suffered due to the recent Los Angeles area wildfires.
NEWS
Panic! At The Disco are preparing to release a special deluxe anniversary edition of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.
The I Write Sins Not Tragedies icons marked the 20th anniversary of their groundbreaking 2005 debut album during their performance at When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas over the weekend, and have now confirmed the new edition.
On January 23, the group — originally formed by Brendon Urie, Spencer Smith, Ryan Ross and Brent Wilson — will unveil a limited edition box set that features a remastered version of the record.
The package, priced at £164.99 and available for pre-order, includes 11 unreleased demos and a vinyl pressing of 2006’s Live In Denver. The full live set has also been uploaded to YouTube.
On the band’s UK store, they shared a message:
“To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Panic! At The Disco’s seminal debut album, this limited edition box set brings together a comprehensive time capsule celebrating the record's impact.
This release includes the original album remastered for the first time ever, 11 unreleased demos, plus the legendary 2006 Live In Denver performance — never before released on vinyl or CD.
The box set also includes a 12-page zine with never before seen photos from the era, a sticker set, a door hanger, and a paper doll set.”
By 2023, the band had essentially become a solo project for Urie. Their final show was held in Manchester, UK, where the frontman said: “Sometimes a journey must end for a new one to begin.
“We’ve been trying to keep it to ourselves, though some of you may have heard… Sarah and I are expecting a baby very soon!
The prospect of being a father and getting to watch my wife become a mother is both humbling and exciting. I look forward to this next adventure.”
Panic! returned to the stage at WWWY over the weekend, performing A Fever You Can't Sweat Out in full alongside fan favorites like This Is Gospel and Nine in the Afternoon.
To end the night, they performed I Write Sins Not Tragedies once again, as Smith reunited with Urie for the emotional closing moment.
