It was music’s biggest night once again, with awards up for grabs after Adele’s record-breaking six wins last year. With new artists and fierce competition, it was an evening of over-the-top performances and stunning effects. Hosted by LL Cool J, who was a little Twitter-obsessed and even more self-obsessed, the 55th Grammy Awards offered TV audiences a star-studded blowout to sing and dance along to.

The show began with an odd performance by Taylor Swift, who sang her annoyingly catchy tune “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” while accompanied by an ensemble of strange circus acts. Maybe not the biggest crowd-pleaser, but Swift sounded undeniably better than some of her past performances, starting the night off on the right note, so to speak. She was followed by another oddity: the pairing of Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran singing not one of Elton’s many great hits, but Sheeran’s “The A Team.” Though strange, it was soft and sweet. Shortly after, Adele won yet another Grammy for best pop solo performance. This year, however, the best new artist award did not go to her, but to the next performers of the night.

Introduced by Neil Patrick Harris, Fun. performed their new anthem, “Carry On.” During the song, the rain came pouring down on the band in perfect synchronization with the lyrics “we are invincible.” And Fun. was invincible, winning song of the year for “We are Young” and the best new artist award. Undoubtedly, Fun. is deserving, but up against the wildly popular Frank Ocean, it came as a shock. Upon their acceptance, lead singer Nate Ruess excitedly and nervously said, “I gotta pee,” and thanked his amazing bandmates. Andrew Dost even thanked himself!

Our country appetite was fed by a nice duet by Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley, and a performance by Carrie Underwood. Carrie impressed the audience with her best country solo performance-winning “Blown Away.” The magical designs displayed on her silver gown matched her mighty voice as she sang. Zac Brown Band won for best country album.

Miguel and Wiz Khalifa gave a stellar performance, drawing attention from fans and stars alike, especially best pop vocal album winner Kelly Clarkson, who said “that was the was the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen!” While some may be upset that she beat Florence and the Machine, Kelly proved her worth with killer renditions of “The Tennessee Waltz” and “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman,” in honor of Lifetime Achievement Award winners Patty Page and Carole King. Her voice was flawless.

Johnny Depp introduced Mumford & Sons, who sang “I Will Wait For You.” Afterwards, Ellen DeGeneres and Beyonce introduced Justin Timberlake, who gave the crowd a taste of his “2020 Experience.” Stealing the show, Justin brought sexy back, his voice angelic and his moves as smooth as his coiffed hair. Rapping with Jay-Z was the cherry on a delicious cake. Next began the string of well-matched duets.

First up was Adam Levine, nice and clean-shaven, singing “Daylight,” joined by Alicia Keys singing “Girl on Fire.” Rihanna paired up with Mikky Ekko with their song “Stay.” Finally, in a much-awaited performance, Jack White performed with his all-girl backing band The Peacocks, harmonizing with singer Ruby Amanfu, and then rocked out with his all-male backing band, The Buzzards. It was nothing short of incredible.

The more uplifting and collaborative performances of the night were The Lumineers singing their hit “Ho Hey” and tributes to the late Bob Marley and Levon Helm. The Marley tribute featured Bruno Mars singing “Locked Out of Heaven” with Sting singing “Walking on the Moon,” joined by Rihanna, and the Marley sons, Ziggy and Damian, honoring their dad’s “Could You Be Loved.” In the tribute to Helm, Elton John dedicated the performance to the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School and sang “The Weight” with the soulful voices of Zac Brown, Mumford & Sons, T Bone Burnett, Mavis Staples and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes.

Before the concluding awards and performances, a nice In Memoriam segment reminded us of lost music legends, including Robin Gibb, Marvin Hamlisch and Dick Clark. Following this, Prince presented the record of the year award to Goyte for the unique but overplayed “Somebody That I Used to Know.”

Finally, the moments everyone had been waiting for. Frank Ocean took the stage, singing “Forrest Gump.” He stood behind the piano as it projected his body, clad in a white suit and sweatband running in front of picturesque mountains and winding roads as he sang. Even with such a terrific performance and the powerhouse album that is “Channel Orange,” it was not enough to beat Mumford & Son’s “Babel” for album of the year. He did, however, win in the new category best urban contemporary album in addition to rap/sung collaboration for “No Church in the Wild.” While Sons is deserving in its own right, “Orange” drew in such a fan base that it is quite shocking it did not win.

After Cool J closed the show, audiences could dwell upon the night. With such inventive musicians, it can be disappointing to see them lose to predictable winners. But predictable does not necessarily mean undeserving. It is up to the viewer to judge; however, one must admit that all performers were at the top of their game.