Watching Eminem and Rihanna sing together at the Grammys was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” — and Red Deer teenager Katarina Buckley was there to see it happen.
The 15-year-old Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School student was in the star-studded Staples Centre audience in Los Angeles on Sunday night when Montreal’s Arcade Fire stunned everyone by winning Album of the Year.
Before that, Cee-Lo Green sang along with Gwyneth Paltrow and some Muppets, Lady Gaga was lowered onto the stage in a space pod, Barbra Streisand belted out Evergreen, and Mick Jagger strutted his stuff for the first time at music’s biggest awards night.
“The Grammys were pretty awesome,” said Buckley, who got the opportunity to attend through the Children’s Wish Foundation.
Buckley was diagnosed in 2008 with periosteal osteosarcoma that caused a tumor to grow in her leg.
As a result of surgery, she now has a metal knee — but is tumour free, with the cancer in remission.
Buckley said she was approached by the foundation that grants wishes to kids diagnosed with life-threatening diseases about going to the Grammys when a supporter obtained tickets and asked that they be used by an Alberta child.
She loved the idea, saying how often can you see so many great artists performing under one roof?
“If anyone else had wanted (the tickets), I wouldn’t have gone. But I was glad no one else did,” said Buckley, a music lover who is taking singing lessons, plays the piano and is learning the guitar.
The teen, who wants to be a chemist someday, called the Grammys “definitely memorable.”
Her favourite singer, Avril Lavigne, wasn’t part of the show, but Buckley loved seeing Katy Perry perform Teenage Dream.
She also watched as Justin Bieber pull off an impressive hip-hop number with Usher and a bunch of ninja drummers — although she’s not a particular fan of the Stratford, Ont., heartthrob.
But when a thin man started dancing around, she didn’t at first realize he was Mick Jagger.
Buckley said she couldn’t see everything perfectly because she was sitting in the “nose-bleeds” and got momentarily confused. But her parents definitely appreciated Jagger’s performance, she added.
Although Buckley got a close-up look at comedian Kathy Griffin and saw E! News host Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet, the local teen’s favourite moment was watching Rihanna and Eminem perform their huge hit Love the Way You Lie, with tons of raw emotion and an appearance by Dr. Dre.
“Even my Dad, who is not a real fan of Eminem, thought it was really good,” said Buckley, who attended the weekend Grammy ceremony with her parents. Her two-year-old sister was looked after by California relatives because she was too young for the Grammys.
But the whole family will be going to Disneyland and the California Adventure Park this week.
And Buckley will return to Alberta on Friday with lots of great memories — such as getting to pick the dress of her dreams to wear to the award show and getting her hair and makeup done.
“The most thrilling thing for me is when I got inside (the Staples Centre) and I saw how huge it was and how many people were in there. I thought, how can I be here, with all these people?”
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com