grammys 2024

Just Give Tracy Chapman the Whole Show

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The Grammys actually blessed us for once. Usually during the beginning of the show, we’re steeling ourselves for snub of galactic alien-superstar proportions or a misguided mash-up that leaves one’s brain spinning. Instead, the Recording Academy granted us with a moment of peace to start off the evening. Following Dua Lipa’s opening performance of her recent numbers, the elusive Tracy Chapman took the stage to perform her moving single “Fast Car†with full-time country artist, part-time cover singer Luke Combs, who’s nominated for his version of the song. The set was simple: A line of spotlights illuminated the pair from behind, while a blurry field provided the backdrop. Chapman sang the first verse, her tone clear and voice unhurried, until it was Combs’s time to stop queening out over his idol and sing his part. And Taylor Swift and other A-listers reverently stood and sang along. It all felt wholesome and enjoyable, even if Combs’s fangirling may have gotten in the way of his harmonies. Even crazier than the quality of the performance was the fact that the Grammys even managed to get Chapman onstage. She last performed on TV nine years ago and rarely, if ever, appears in other capacities. Hopefully the Recording Academy can replicate these vibes in the future, and by that I mean turn it into a Tracy Chapman concert simply interrupted by an awards show.

Just Give Tracy Chapman the Whole Show