Country is no longer just adored by the South, proven when Lady Antebellum took home the award for Song and Record of the Year at the 53rd annual Grammy awards, which aired on CBS this past Sunday.

The opening act for the award ceremony was a collaborative performance by Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Yolanda Adams, and Martina McBride. It served as a tribute to Aretha Franklin. Franklin has won 18 Grammys throughout the years, and with a recent hospitalization, the performance was very moving.

Many of the prestigious awards went to artists who aren’t necessarily mainstream, pop icons. Many predicted Justin Bieber would take home the award for Best New Artist, but it was given to Esperanza Spalding, a jazz bassist, singer, and rising musician. Spalding was genuinely pleased with her award, as she stated in her acceptance speech, “I take this honor to heart so sincerely, and I’ll do my damndest to make a whole lot of great music for all of you.”

Arcade Fire took home the award for Album of the Year despite their competition from Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. This is the first time an alternative-rock group has taken home this honor. “It was shocking. The idea never even entered my mind…until when they said the name of the album,” lead singer Win Butler said.

The Grammys have 108 categories, but the show had a stronger focus on performances rather than the presentation of awards. The award show was filled with a variety of unique costumes and performances.

“I feel like I still don’t know who won a lot of the categories, but they were still very entertaining,” said junior Sarah Piekarsky. “I was surprised at how country-based the awards seemed to be and how pop/rap the performances were. Overall it was kind of a random award ceremony.”

Taking home the award for Best Pop Album, Lady Gaga was a huge hit at the Grammys. Gaga made her grand entrance hibernating inside of an egg, which she later emerged from to perform her new hit single, “Born This Way.”

Other creative tactics used by Gaga included prosthetic shoulder bones and horns on her forehead. Lady Gaga is always making some sort of statement, with either fashion or politics, often reflecting another pop-sensation superstar of the 80s.

“Lady Gaga is like our generation’s Madonna, she is always doing something to stand out,” said junior Julie Abott.

Another entertaining performance of the night was Cee Lo Green, who performed his hit song “Forget You,” accompanied by Gwyneth Paltrow and puppet friends. Paltrow brought even more popularity to the song when she sang it on Fox’s hit show “Glee.” Cee Lo was dressed in a red peacock costume and the overall energy of the performance was very visible.

Rihanna was another big star of the night, performing with both Eminem and Drake. Her costume changes varied from a white feather-wired dress, to a black-poofy ball gown, and finally a skimpy red leotard with tassels. Nicki Minaj also deserves some recognition for her Cruella De Ville-esque cheetah costume and black-and-white teased hair.

Apparently at the Grammys, anything goes.

Justin Bieber and his mentor, Usher, performed together, after sharing with the audience the story of their very first meeting. Bieber also performed with Jayden Smith, where they both showed off their impressive dance moves.

Jumping a few generations ahead, Mick Jagger and Barbara Streisand also gave very memorable performances.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for Bob Dylan, who did not sound as sharp as he once did, despite the musical backings of Mumford and Sons and The Avett Brothers.

Other performances of the night included Bruno Mars, B.O.B, Miranda Lambert, Katy Perry and Arcade Fire.