Along with fulfilling some folks’ lifelong dreams and providing a few fashion disasters, tonight’s Grammys will feature a number of star-studded performances. The titillating lineup includes a Beatles reunion featuring Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Daft Punk performing in Stormtrooper helmets, and Metallica playing with a Chinese orchestra. (And who knows what Broadway-sized spectacle Katy Perry will deliver). Still, we have a feeling Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ performance will be memorable for a whole other set of reasons.
As The New York Times reports, 34 couples will be married during the hip-hop duo’s performance of the marriage equality anthem “Same Love”, which is also set to feature a cameo by Madonna herself. Madge won’t be the one rocking the frock, however. Instead, Queen Latifah will officiate the nuptials for the couples, who range from “gay, straight, old, young, of many races and many colors.” It’s worth noting that the Grammys wedding is an extension of a recent occurrence at Macklemore shows, as several have featured onstage proposals by both gay and straight couples.
In a statement, Lewis said the mass wedding “will be in our minds the ultimate statement of equality, that all the couples are entitled to the same exact thing.” Among the 34 couples tying the knot is Lewis’ sister Laura and her boyfriend Alex. Lewis added, “A night that is already tremendous for me, for the music. But to have my sister get married and my family there watching it — that makes it a whole other level of amazing.”
While the performance promises to be a feel-good moment, Grammy organizers are aware that the segment may be controversial, and some audiences might find it trivializing. “I expect that people with all kinds of opinions might voice them, and that’s healthy,” said National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences president Neil Portnow. “We don’t need to stoop to the level of trying to find gimmicks and sensationalistic approaches to what we do.” It’d also be the latest bit of controversy stemming from Macklemore’s Grammy appearance, as it was revealed earlier this week the Seattle emcee was nearly blacklisted from the Best Hip-Hop Album category.
For a taste of this evening’s unbridled romance, sure to make a Nicholas Sparks novel look tame, relieve the surprise marriage proposal from Macklemore’s GMA concert last August.
