2016 Grammys: All 20 Performances Ranked From Worst to Best

Was Adele's performance bad? It's such a strange phenomenon to attribute a negative word to Adele's singing that it's hard to believe it was real -- but it was. Sound issues tanked the "Hello" singer's performance, and the look of resignation on her face when she finished proved that she knew it, too. We know it wasn't your fault, lady, but this was still painful to sit through.

The star's performance of "All I Ask" wasn't all we could have asked for, and Adele knew it. She released a statement explaining why her show was out of tune, chalking it up to the fact that "Sh-- happens."

Hollywood Vampires (aka Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper and Joe Perry) made their television debut at the Grammy Awards and their performance of "As Bad As I Am" was... really bad. It was like watching your weird uncle's band perform at the Jekyll and Hyde-themed restaurant in Times Square. When they moved into a cover of "Ace of Spades" to honor Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmeister, it just made you wonder, "How is Amber Heard into this?"

The mash-up of Sam Hunt's "Take Your Time" and Carrie Underwood's "Heartbeat" was supposed to be one of the show's standout country moments, but Hunt's rocky vocal start (why are you starting with the lesser known song and performer?) and a snoozy arrangement -- so slow -- led to a mediocre performance overall. They could blame it on the band later, but this wasn't Underwood's best work either.

Yes, Pitbull, we know you are friends with Sofia Vergara, but randomly putting her in your Grammy performance of a song about a taxi cab is not going to make us take you more seriously. Robin Thicke isn't helping either. It's possible that this performance suffered from being at the end of an always-too-long awards show, but it probably still would have been an overcrowded mess if it had opened the show too.

We weren't kidding. This kind of surprising (and unnecessary) addition only happens if you're Pitbull. Travis Barker was there, for goodness sake.

Poor 12-year-old pianist Joey Alexander got brought out just to make a point about how music streaming is stealing his future or something. The youngest Grammy nominee played great and had huge hair, and someday he'll be big enough to not let Grammy presidents steal his spotlight.

The Weeknd started his performance by singing "Can't Feel My Face" inside of a Lite Brite. He was all alone with just a thin backing track as he halfheartedly re-created some of his dance moves from the video before transitioning into a cello-backed, pitchy rendition of "In the Night."

This was an underwhelming showing from one of the more boundary-pushing artists nominated at the 2016 Grammys. Word that renowned hip-hop artist Lauryn Hill was scheduled to join him circulated, which explains the feeling that something was missing. Either way, he rocked his tux.

James Bay and Tori Kelly teamed up for a medley of his song "Let It Go" and her song "Hollow." The two Best New Artist nominees were the least-known performers of the night, and putting them together may not do them any favors for name recognition going forward. They're both firmly in the middle of the road, pretty people with guitars.

Miguel had the tough task of following Kendrick Lamar's explosive performance, but he delivered a stunning rendition of Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life" to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the King of Pop's first solo Grammy. It was just a little too short to come out as one of the show's best moments.

We appreciate the Grammys' doubling up on performers if it saves this show from getting any longer, but the pairs should make sense. Both Day and Goulding sang just fine in a vocal-heavy performance, but the mash-up didn't make sense. Who wants a cut-up version of two all-right songs when you could have a powerhouse showcase of one?

Little Big Town redeemed country music from the Hunt-and-Underwood fiasco with a somber performance of "Girl Crush." Vocally they killed it, but there wasn't much flair to make the number stand out above some of the night's other popping performances.

The tribute to Lionel Richie went maximal, with 900 singers onstage. It started with John Legend doing a smooooth version of "Easy." He was blessed with a great mix. Then Demi Lovato, sparkly like a Twilight vampire, nailed "Hello" and then tossed it to Luke Bryan for "Penny Lover." Luke Bryan could easily make a Taylor Swift-style crossover from country to adult contemporary with that versatile voice. Then Meghan Trainor came out for "You Are the Sun, You Are the Rain," and the Lionel Richie tribute started to wear out its welcome. And then viral video curator Tyrese came out and led the auditorium in a singalong of "Brick House" for some reason. Then the man himself came out and sang "All Night Long." None of it was bad, but it was too much. They could have cut it by a third (the Grammys' unofficial slogan)

Stevie Wonder and Pentatonix did an a capella version of "That's the Way of the World" as a tribute to Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, who died Feb. 4. It was simple and beautiful, stripped of the bloat that weighs down so many Grammy performances.

Taylor Swift started the show with a performance of of "Out of the Woods." She model-strutted in a jumpsuit made of sparkles and debuted a new bob haircut that swished around her face as she struck dramatic poses. Her BFF Lena Dunham's partner Jack Antonoff was playing guitar. Hi, Jack!

"Out of the Woods" was a missed opportunity to team up with fellow multi-nominee Kendrick Lamar, who joined Swift for the "Bad Blood" music video. Now that would have been an amazing transition.

Leave it to legends to show how it's done. The Eagles performed the 1972 hit "Take It Easy" with Jackson Browne to honor their friend Glenn Frey, who co-founded the group and passed away last month. It was a solid, heartwarming performance that tugged on Eagles' fans heartstrings as a photo montage of Frey played.

Justin Bieber decided to strip down his performance, opening with an acoustic performance of "Love Yourself" followed by a guitar-heavy rock rendition of "Where R U Now." While it was an interesting take on two EDM tracks, Biebs struggled to make it vocally - especially in the transition between the two.

Skrillex and Diplo (as Jack Ü) joined Bieber on stage for "Where R U Now," and it was cool to see them flex their instrumental muscles. But even with the electric guitars and booming drums, "Where R U Now" is not exactly a head-banging song, so we're still scratching our heads about those dance moves.

Bonnie Raitt led a tribute to blues legend B.B. King, who died May 14. It was a straightforward take on "The Thrill Is Gone" with Chris Stapleton and Gary Clark Jr. singing and taking guitar solos. It was a solid, traditional palate cleanser after big performances like Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar.

Alabama Shakes brought it for the indie-rock folks and win for the live-band performance of the evening. They rocked the stage better than a lot of Grammy veterans, which is all the more impressive when you consider lead singer Brittany Howard was still working for the Postal Service three years ago.

Brittany Howard is already a legend thanks to her incredible voice, undeniable talent and electric stage presence. And, with all of that, the 27-year-old still seems so humble.

Have you been wondering why the world has been obsessed with the Broadway smash musical Hamilton? Lin-Manuel Miranda and his all-star cast let the world know when they performed "Alexander Hamilton" live from New York on the Grammys. The number pumped life back into the dragging awards show and set up a stellar second half.

Kendrick Lamar used his Grammys performance, which is usually a victory lap or a way to present oneself to a new, broad audience, to premiere a brand-new, untitled song and throw up provocative images about being an African-American man. He didn't win the big awards, but he made his point.

Lady Gaga was the perfect choice to lead the David Bowie tribute. She even looked like Bowie, with her florescent orange hair straight from the Ziggy Stardust era. It was musically and visually audacious, and all the more impressive for its relatively short lead time.

The performance had incredible visual appeal (thanks to Intel). Even still, it managed to hold onto a vintage feel. It was a beautiful tribute and a show worthy of the No. 1 spot.