Performers Dazzle at Grammys 2012

The 54<sup>th Grammy Awards started at the Elephant in the Staples Center with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performing their song entitled "We Take Care of Our Own," a metaphor for the recent troubles of the US.

Host LL Cool then reminded the crowd of the sad demise of Whitney Houston saying: "There is no way around this. We've had a death in our family."

"Heavenly father, we thank you for sharing our sister Whitney with us, though she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit," he said, leading the audience into a prayer.

Just six hours before the official start of the 54<sup>th Grammy awards, the sad news of Whitney Houston's death shocked the world. Almost every artist performing at this year's Grammy awards paid tribute to this talented singer/songwriter/actress.

Then a small clip, showing Houston performing one of her hit songs was shown.

"I Will Always Love You. Whitney, we will always love you," LL Cool added after the clip.

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney delivered two epic performances, one, at the start of the show and the other at the end.

Foo Fighters performed their hit single "Walk," while Rihanna and Chris Brown (performed separately). Bonnie Raitt and Alicia Keys, had to quickly rewrite the show's intro honouring Etta James, to include Houston as well.

Houston's death also eclipsed the Beach Boys' first reunion (which was supposed to be the biggest moment at this year's Grammys), in over 20 years, led by three surviving members Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine.

Maroon 5 and Foster the People paid tribute to the Beach Boys before the band themselves entertained the crowd with some of their hits.

Later, Country singer Glen Campbell brought the crowd to its feet by performing his country classic "Rhinestone Cowboy."

The singer, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, also received a lifetime achievement award.

Taylor Swift did a quick simple performance of her Grammy winning single "Mean," holding a banjo, which appeared to be a mere prop.

However Rapster Nicki Minaj managed to shift the mood of the audience when she performed her song in a rather uncanny way. Her performance included depiction of exorcism and levitating.

Katy Perry's performance was also no less as she managed to excite the crowd with fire and a body double.

But finally it was Adele who stole the show with her simple yet powerful performance of "Rolling in to the Deep," following her vocal chord surgery.

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