By: Matthew Bloss-Baum
Who would’ve thought that a rainy day in LA could be so joyful? Well, it was for me—I got the lucky opportunity to attend the 2024 Grammy Awards. Everyone’s first question when I tell them I went to the Grammys is always, “How is that even possible? It’s not something you can just buy tickets for.” They’re right. I got to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because of my favorite person on this earth and role model, my mom. My mom, Linda Bloss-Baum, has worked in the music industry for the majority of her career, starting as a lobbyist fighting for equal pay for songwriters and now educating the new generation in the music business as a professor at American University. Because of her esteemed accomplishments, she has gone to the Grammys for nearly the last 20 years.
Every single year of my life, I have tuned in to the Grammy Awards, because I am a hardcore lover of all things music, but also for the slight chance that my mom might be caught on camera for a millisecond. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would actually be there, but this year my sister and I got to tag along. I had never been more excited to leave the cold, snowy streets of New York City and be surrounded by warmth and palm trees in Los Angeles. Little did I know that Grammys weekend in LA this year would experience record-breaking rain and flooding. I honestly had not believed that it would rain, but Sunday came along and I was proved EXTREMELY wrong.
Grammy day began with sleeping in after returning from a pre-party and late-night stop at the classic In-and-Out-Burger the evening prior. The glam was the first step of the day. We were going to be in the same room as Taylor Swift—we had to look perfect. Once ready, we grabbed our umbrellas and headed to the award ceremony. At this point, the rain had started to pick up. When we pulled in, we saw the red carpet fully covered by a huge, fancy white tent. Although we didn’t get to walk on the red carpet, we got to see all of the celebrities walk in while waiting in a long line to get into the arena. Finally, once inside, we ran to our seats as the countdown to the show began.
We went up the long escalator and into the nosebleeds. Some may say that these were bad seats, but I loved them. I could see all the celebrities all at the same time. The celebrities I could always spot were Billie Eilish by her red roots, Beyonce by her white cowboy hat, and Taylor Swift, because it’s Taylor Swift and all eyes were on her. The ceremony began and I was in complete shock. It was nothing like I imagined. I thought the experience would feel like a normal concert, but it was the complete opposite. There were cameramen on stage with the performers, and the audience had to be quiet and sit down. Even though it wasn’t what I was expecting, I loved it.
The show began with Dua Lipa hitting every dance move, introducing the audience to her new “psychedelic pop” era, and Miley Cyrus taking home the night’s first award. My adrenaline was so high by this point that I was happy to have commercial breaks to be able to take everything in.
The commercial breaks were one of my favorite parts of the night. My sister and I loved seeing what celebrities were doing and watching them interact. For example, Meryl Streep made a point of getting up and talking to everyone she could during every break. Once the break would end, everyone would run back to their seats and the show would continue.
There were so many phenomenal performances, like Billie Eilish at the piano singing the Song of the Year winner “What Was I Made For?” and Miley Cyrus performing her hit song “Flowers” for only the third time live. The most memorable moment of the night was Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech.
If you cannot tell, Taylor Swift is my passion in life and I would do anything for that woman. Just being in her presence was such a magical experience. Being in the Swiftie fandom, I heard rumors about her making a big announcement at the Grammys. While on stage accepting the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights, she announced her brand new album The Tortured Poets Department coming out on April 19th. My jaw dropped in complete shock. I couldn’t fathom the fact that I was in the room the moment she announced this, and I could not stop thinking about it for the rest of the ceremony.
As the night went on, more awards were given and the show was closed out by the iconic Billy Joel debuting his brand new song “Turn the Lights Back On”. The show ended, but the night was far from over. We left the arena and walked across the red carpet to the most insane after-party I have ever been to—fancy hors d’oeuvres, dancers flying from the ceiling, and bars on bars with cotton candy cocktails. In the room of all these spectacles, lights, and food, a rave led by NE-YO started and we were all on our feet. Finally, after leaving the party and running to our Uber through the flooding, rainy streets of LA, we arrived home.
My experience attending the Grammys was the greatest, craziest night of my life. I am so excited for the day that I get to attend the ceremony again because of the reignited passion and love I have for the music industry that this night brought me.
