If there's one guarantee with Music's Biggest Night, you can bet the house on a tribute performance for the ages. In recent years, there's Jennifer Hudson's plaintive tribute to Whitney Houston in 2012; Sting, Rihanna & Co. joining forces to honor Bob Marley in 2013; and Lady Gaga's mesmerizing David Bowie medley in 2016.
But few tributes can match the fervor and energy of Bruno Mars' homage to Prince at the 59th GRAMMY Awards in 2017. Mars' electric reading of the 1984 classic "Let's Go Crazy" was spot on, with Mars commanding the stage with peerless panache and evoking the Purple One's spirit straight down to his choice of costume and the tasty licks emanating from his custom white Cloud guitar.
"That's the beauty of the GRAMMYs, is that they allowed that to happen for the greater good," said Mars. "Not to say, 'Hey, we want you to play a hit.' But, 'We want you to showcase something that no one has ever seen before.' … [We wanted] to lift the spirits up in the room and show the power of what one Prince song can do, let alone his incredible catalog."
Watch Mars and more artists reminisce about the most memorable performances in GRAMMY history on the upcoming TV special "GRAMMYs Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special," airing Friday, Nov. 24 from 9–11 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
"GRAMMYs Greatest Stories" To Feature Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Dave Grohl
