Whether you loved or hated the 2013 Grammy Awards may depend on your taste in music. The sight of Taylor Swift opening and LL Cool J closing the show is either a welcomed event or a reason to flip the channel.  If you’re a Rock & Roll fan, though, there was plenty to cheer for on Sunday night.

The Grammys have come and gone and the list of winners is not limited to the people who took home a trophy. A great live performance can prove to be a career altering event, as evidenced by the 2012 performance of Mumford & Sons. Flash forward a year later and the Brits took home Album of the Year for their acclaimed album ‘Babel’. 

While the show is called the Grammy AWARDS, that term is used loosely these days. The show itself is about the live performances and collaborations of various genres of music. Jack White didn’t win any of the Grammys he was nominated for but he gave one of the best performances of the night.

Performing with both of his bands, the all-female band The Peacocks and the all-male combo The Buzzards, White showcased his musical talent for a diverse audience and was awarded with a standing ovation from his peers! There was some speculation later on that White may have snuck in an F-bomb during his performance, but that was eventually denied when a CBS executive, Martin Franks, told The Hollywood Reporter that there was no improper language used.

One of the biggest winners of the night was the Black Keys. The blues/rock duo took home three awards and dominated the rock genre, winning Best Rock Song, Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance, with Dave Grohl presenting them with their final trophy. On top of all that, singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach won Producer of the Year, for his work on both the Keys’ ‘El Camino’ and Dr. John’s ‘Locked Down’. The Black Keys added to their Grammy victories by performing on stage with Dr. John in a memorable live show.

Another unique collaboration occurred when T. Bone Burnett, Mavis Staples, Mumford & Sons and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes teamed up to pay tribute to the late Levon Helm with a version of The Band’s ‘The Weight.’

For all the talk about the return of Justin Timberlake and the influence of pop music, Rock & Roll proved its worth on the national stage, and artists proved they could rile up the crowd by simply strumming those six strings. 

Did you get a chance to tune in last night? Share your thoughts on the evening’s performances and winners in the comments section below!