Las Vegas gets an overwhelming thumbs down as Grammys location

Variety

The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas was the best option for this year's ceremony due to the Omicron variant delaying the original location and date, Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 31. "While many attendees acknowledged the difficult circumstances in which Grammy organizers found themselves, they were unsparing in detailing the drawbacks of Vegas, which, while an entertainment town through and through, seemed to lack the sparkle and glamor one would expect to find on music’s biggest night," reports Variety's Shirley Halperin and Jem Aswad, adding: "Making matters worse, the Grammys joined a busy early-spring weekend filled with traditionally boisterous Vegas revelers — including belated spring breakers — and the arena is located inside a sprawling complex that combines a hotel, an enormous casino, a shopping mall and more, making for a surreal scene outside the arena before the show, as people in casual or swimming apparel combined with the glittering Grammy attendees; the scene outside the venue before the show was crowded and not a little chaotic."