The Latin Grammys Ignored the Elephant in the Room, but the Performances Still Ruled

"BESO!!!!" The crowd anxiously roared, eager to see this year's Latin GRAMMY Person of the Year winner Marc Anthony lock lips with ex-wife Jennifer Lopez. The once-most mighty couple seemed reluctant at first to grant the audience's wish at their reunion show during Thursday night's ceremony. But it was clear enough that the pair were oozing with chemistry during their surprise duet of the vintage lullaby "Olvídame y pega la vuelta," a gorgeous heartbreak rendition by Argentine duo Pimpinela. If making music magic performance is any indicator, then it seems they also yearned for that special moment. Well, at least J.Lo did—Marc Anthony slyly commented after the hyped kiss that Jenny from the Block is almost like his sister (perhaps a clever way of tying the romantic cover back to Pimpinela, since, in fact, the Argentine duo are brother and sister).

This was actually the climax of the academy's 17th annual installment, folks. There wasn't an army of defiant musicians bashing Donald Trump, nor were there any prepared speeches confronting racism. No pro-immigration pep talks were given either. Instead, the lack thereof made for an awkward scenario given that, one, the current Latinx community is still severely wailing, protesting against the President-elect nationwide; and two, the last two ceremonies were fully charged with fervid political sentiments.

In 2014, President Obama opened up the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Science event directly from the White House and delivered an impassioned speech on immigration. His declamation was followed by a riotous performance from Latin music's most outspoken purveyors, Calle 13, who ferociously delivered "El Aguante." Last year, it took Maná, one of today's cheesiest, mainstream Latin pop-rock bands, to step up to the plate. They performed the banda-rock anthem "Somos Más Americanos" alongside legendary Norteño masterminds Los Tigres del Norte. For their finale, the two heavyweight troupes lofted a banner emblazoned with an appropriate statement: "Don't Vote for Racists."

This time, however, we relied on some Marc Anthony and J.Lo tongue action, which unfortunately for this observer didn't happen as intensely as hoped (actually, there was no tongue, only a smooch—this morning the salsa singer went as far to kiss other men to prove the moment was only amiable). And with the downplaying of politics, musicians boringly settled for clichéd statements about unifying as a community and how music "transcends" and "breaks" borders during the telecast. The only angry-yet-apt remark came from alt pop royalty Carla Morrison, who during the Premiere called Trump basically an oompa loompa: "Let no orange bastard take away our inspiration!"

Yet there were plenty of highlights that didn't involve Trump defiance or the exchange of TV-acceptable fluids. Reggaetoneros brought some heavy heat to the scene. Colombian powerhouse J Balvin invited Pharrell as his secret weapon who sweetly cooed in Spanish—last year the urban rapper took Diplo, Major Lazer, and MØ to the stage. (Yes, most Latinxs still gush over huge American and crossover acts who appear at their events, like plenty of red-carpet reporters we saw last night.) Pharrell and J Balvin alongside BIA and Sky rocked the sizzling smash hit "Safari," where a horde of dancers gyrated accompanied them in skimpy Amazonian tribal gear atop a mountainous prop.

Other powerful performances included Puerto Rican reggaetón pioneer Yandel, who ramped up tropical-infused EDM in the undulating "Nunca Me Olvides," coolly slaying it next to a battered royal blue convertible, which went well with the theme of the "reckless love" song. Unprecedented genre mashups were witnessed too, as when bachata got the regional Mexican music treatment in the tender "Moneda," a song by Bronx-native crooner Prince Royce, starring California banda sensation Gerardo Ortiz.

Vallenato revivalist Carlos Vives transported us to the Caribbean coasts of Colombia via his Latin GRAMMY-winning, sunny banger "La Bicicleta," which features Shakira. She mysteriously  didn't show, and some suspected she's now "too big" for the tiny Latin GRAMMYs, compared to the "bigger" GRAMMYs event. But surrounded by towering bike wheels, the vivacious singer/composer turned the corporate event into a sound-system block party and even graced it with a rural troupe of cumbia villera players who led with infectious accordion riffage, whirling pan flutes, and elated güiros. The closing gig was excitingly hosted by the fiery Cubatón duo Gente de Zona who busted impressive, high-energy dance moves to the glowing, party-starting "La Gozadera."

Rock, too, played a part in the night, largely thanks to ska-punk iconoclasts Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. Although the flamboyant Argentines recently celebrated 30 years as a band, their combustible delivery of the murga-driven "Matador," an 80s rock en español classic, sounded as vibrant than ever. There were rhythms that seemed explosive enough to flip a few people upside-down in a mosh pit, and the performance culminated in singer Vicentico jumping on a grand piano while bassist Flavio shattered his own instrument to pieces—proof that Los Cadillacs are still down with their punk roots.

One of the most heartfelt and candid moments belonged to Chilean electro-pop wunderkind Alex Anwandter, and last night he took a giant leap on to becoming the official LGBTQ idol in Latin music. Usually a jubilant, happy-go-lucky performer, the affecting singer/songwriter shed light on issues faced by the transgender community in the moving, piano-laced "Manifiesto." "Today I'm a woman, the town faggot, despite them setting me on fire," the gut-wrenching song goes.

And like in most big-award ceremony, memorials got their prime time. This year we tragically lost one of Latin music's most beloved luminaries, Mexico's own Juan Gabriel—an unparalleled musician who has sold over 150 million records. El Divo de Juárez was celebrated in a candid video montage honoring his legacy, but the oddest thing was that there were no renditions done of this late, great icon. (Weirdly so, considering that Marc Anthony was in attendance and has previously covered Juan Gabriel's painfully beautiful "Abrázame Muy Fuerte," which could've built for a triumphant moment.) Nonetheless, the Academy did posthumously award Juanga with the important award of the night, Album of the Year, for his duets release Los Dúo 2, and that was just dearly deserved. It may have been another safe choice for the night, but in this case, it was the right one.

Lead photo by Kevin Winter/WireImage

Isabela Raygoza is a writer based in New York. Follow her on Twitter.