Grammy Awards 2014: Awards Night Performances To Watch

Grammy Awards 2014: Awards Night Performances To Watch. Two Beatles (Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr), one kiwi (cool new girl Lorde) and a pair of French robots (the electronic producers Daft Punk) make up some of the stars scheduled to perform at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards 2014.

1. Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder and Nile Rodgers: Arguably the most star-studded ensemble on the lineup, this will be Daft Punk’s first live gig since the release of their Grammy-nominated album, “Random Access Memories,” which features Mr. Rodgers. It’s also Daft Punk’s first TV performance since they played with Kanye West at the 2008 awards. Pharrell Williams, who appears on Daft Punk’s summer hit “Get Lucky,” is nominated for seven awards, tying him for second with Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Kendrick Lamar. Jay Z dominates with nine nominations.

2. Lorde: The 17-year-old New Zealand native became a pop sensation last year and is nominated for four awards, including song of the year for her hit “Royals.” She’s been brainstorming outfits for her debut Grammy performance on Instagram, including pictures of witch-inspired black dresses and an ensemble of Siberian bear-hunting armor. This will likely be a show-stopper.

3. Metallica and Lang Lang: Los Angeles rockers Metallica aren’t strangers to unlikely collaborations. The band’s 1999 album “S&M” featured the San Francisco Symphony, and in 2011 it produced an album with Lou Reed that featured mostly spoken words (the latter was widely panned; writer Chuck Klosterman likened it to having schizophrenia and a migraine). Metallica hasn’t performed at the Grammys since 1991, so it’s hard to say how this year’s mash-up with pianist Lang Lang will be received, but for classical music fans, it’s a walk on the wild side.

4. Gary Clark Jr.: Often hailed as the future of blues, the 29-year-old Austin guitarist gained momentum in 2011 with his breakout EP “Bright Lights.” His first major album, “Blak and Blu,” was released in October and hit the top of the Blues chart. He’s nominated for best rock song for “‘Ain’t Messin’ Around” and best traditional R&B performance for “Please Come Home.”

5. Jay Z and Beyonce: The Recording Academy hasn’t confirmed that the couple will perform together, but both their names were included in a commercial advertising the telecast that aired on CBS Jan. 19. Beyonce recently performed a private White House concert for First Lady Michelle Obama’s 50th birthday, but the Grammy performance will be her first since releasing her surprise, self-titled visual album in December.