subtlety impracticality: Chris Brown Returns To Grammys With Fancy Footwork

Monday, February 13, 2012

Chris Brown Returns To Grammys With Fancy Footwork

Chris Brown performed new single "Turn Up the Music" and last year's "Beautiful People" in his controversial return to the Grammys.
By Rob Markman

Chris Brown performs at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Robyn Beck/ AFP / Getty Images

Breezy's Back.

With so many questions surrounding Chris Brown's controversial return to the Grammys, the F.A.M.E. singer simply let his feet do the talking. It was 2009 when Brown assaulted ex-girlfriend Rihanna a night before both were scheduled to appear at the 51st Grammy Awards. Sunday night (February 12), however, it was all about the music.

Fans may not have recognized the intro beat to "Turn Up the Music," Brown's first single from his upcoming fifth album, Fortune, but they're sure to be humming the tune tomorrow following Chris' colorful performance at Sunday's show.

When the stage lit up, Brown stood atop a collection of colorful blocks that at times resembled the 1980s arcade game "Q-Bert." The electric-tuned, Underdogs-produced single filled Staples Center, as Brown, who was dressed in a white and gray varsity jacket, white pants and sparkling sneaks, kick-stepped up and down multiple levels of the high-rising stage prop.

As the beat built, the blocks went from red to blue to yellow and green with building intensity before Brown switched gears and went into the more familiar dance single "Beautiful People" from last year's F.A.M.E. LP. The pop star got a bit daring, jumping across the structure while his backup dancers, who wore oversize winged ponchos, followed suit in a high-flying routine.

In the end, there were no innuendos or screen cuts to Breezy's ex-flame Rihanna. Brown simply finished his number, stood triumphantly and saluted the crowd before taking a bow.

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