LOS ANGELES _ "Welcome to the Grammys, bitch!"
That's how Lizzo opened the 62nd Grammy Awards on Sunday night in a characteristically exuberant performance that also featured a blazing flute solo and a troupe of ballet dancers in illuminated tutus.
Conducting a small orchestra of string and horn players (and dressed with typical panache in a bedazzled ballgown), Lizzo _ who went into the telecast having already won two Grammys during the premiere ceremony _ began the performance with a gutsy rendition of her retro-soul ballad "Cuz I Love You" that showed off the raw in her voice.
Then, having changed into a pair of clingy leggings streaked with what looked like neon paint, she transitioned into the thumping "Truth Hurts" (which is up for both record and song of the year) as dancers twirled and bounced around her.
Yet the centerpiece of the tune was the furious solo she ripped on a sparkling flute that descended from above the stage on a small platform _ the rare display of old-fashioned instrumental dexterity on a show that can often make music feel like an afterthought.
May a million aspiring flautists spring up in her wake.
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