LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 03: Jimmie Allen speaks onstage during the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards … [+]
The Grammy Awards, viewed by those tuning in as a glitzy event where superstars accept their trophies on television, actually only features a small fraction–around 10%–of the total awards given out each year. The majority of the Grammys are distributed during the Premiere Ceremony, a lesser-known event in the music industry, but one that is incredibly important nonetheless. The Premiere Ceremony is a several-hour-long party/concert that includes numerous speeches and performances, with over 80 trophies being handed out this year alone.
While the TV portion gets all the attention, the Premiere Ceremony is where the majority of the work of the Grammys actually takes place.
The Premiere Ceremony is a much more relaxed affair when compared to the telecast. The audience is composed of a mixture of industry professionals, nominees from obscure (and some not-so-obscure) categories, and loved ones of potential winners. Despite its seemingly simple appearance to the casual observer, the task of coordinating the entire show is far from effortless, a fact confirmed by the two men responsible for ensuring its seamless execution.
The Premiere Ceremony presents a significant challenge for its music producer and musical director, Cheche Alara, who calls it “a beast of a show.” He claims that there is no other award show that has this much music involved, as Alara and his band are responsible for performing approximately 100 music cues live throughout the event, all without any commercial breaks. This includes both the performances and the background music for winners as they approach the podium.
The lack of concern for TV audience and ratings at the Premiere Ceremony allows for the presentation of a diverse range of musical styles, which isn’t always the case on the main show. “The wonderful thing about the Premiere Ceremony is that pretty much every imaginable music style can be on that stage,” said Alara, describing the experience as “freedom.” The focus remains on presenting the best music, regardless of who is playing.
The music isn’t the only complicated aspect of putting together the Premiere Ceremony. The show’s executive producer, Greg Fera, acknowledges the difficulties involved in coordinating the many elements of the event, saying, “The puzzle of talent and performances…that’s always a challenge.” Balancing the host, numerous presenters, and half-a-dozen performances requires careful planning and countless moving parts. Alara views the entire production process as “the art of combining ideas and schedules.”
The timing constraint of the event adds an additional layer of complexity to the already challenging task of organizing the Premiere Ceremony. The event must conclude promptly to make way for the start of the main telecast, which has a fixed start time. As the years have passed, the show has become longer and longer. The Recording Academy’s gradual addition of categories has contributed to the extended length of the Premiere Ceremony, which now runs for several hours–often longer than the telecast itself.
Time being a major issue facing the Premiere Ceremony becomes evident nearly the moment it begins, with the host explaining the rules for future winners. These stipulations outline the parameters for speech, including who is allowed to speak, the number of people who can speak, and the time allotted. However, not all Grammy winners adhere to these guidelines, which can lead to challenging situations.
“We try to coordinate the timing of the show so they have a certain amount of time to accept their awards,” Fera explained, before admitting that sometimes, playing off over-time speakers is necessary. This responsibility often falls on Alara, who mused that, “One of the funny sides of my job is to have to play off people that many times are colleagues and dear friends.” Despite the difficulties, both men are able to keep their focus on the bigger picture. “The only thing that gives me a little bit of peace of mind is I want to make sure that everyone has time to talk,” Alara acknowledged. “If we don’t, it will be very unfair for the people coming on later on the show.”
While putting together the Premiere Ceremony is a time-consuming and demanding task that involves months of preparation and countless changes and negotiations, Fera and Alara both love it. “It’s such a wonderful opportunity to see colleagues, to honor colleagues, to catch up,” Alara said with a smile, adding that since the pandemic, “it’s been amazing to just see people in person.”
Both men have some fond memories of the many shows they’ve worked on, with Fera mentioning Taylor Swift’s first Grammy acceptance and Alara remembering one of Chick Correa’s last performances before he passed. Throughout the interview, they sang the praises of the Premiere Ceremony and made sure to continually mention how much they’ve both loved being involved throughout the years.
At one point, Alara called winning a Grammy “arguably one of the most profound moments of someone’s career,” and said that being “a part of that… It’s a very special moment.”
The 2023 Grammy Premiere Ceremony will be streamed live on live.GRAMMY.com and on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel starting at 12:30 PM PST/3:30 PM ET.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/02/02/if-youre-not-watching-the-grammy-premiere-ceremony-youre-missing-most-of-the-awards/