The 62nd annual Grammy Awards kicked off with one electrifying performance from Lizzo as the songstress ran through her top hits of the past year, highlighting one of the past year's greatest success stories.
Soon after, however, host Alicia Keys would take to the stage to pay her respects to Kobe Bryant inside Staples Center, or as Keys referred to it, the "house that Kobe Bryant built."
She made reference to the tragic passing of Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other individuals who lost their lives in a fiery helicopter crash Sunday morning in Calabasas. In a quick turnaround in response to the news, Keys was soon joined onstage with Boyz II Men to lead the legendary R&B group in a rendition of their "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" hit.
The performance would end with both of Bryant's No. 8 and No. 24 Lakers jerseys illuminated in the ceiling of the Staples Center. Keys would contend that the nature of such tragedies is that the show must go on, justifying music's power of bringing us all together.
"I know how much Kobe loved music," Keys said after the break. "So, we got to make this a celebration in his honor. He would want us to keep the vibrations high."