A few minutes before the Grammy Nominations Concert aired Wednesday on CBS, executive producer Ken Ehrlich came out to address the in-studio audience, “Every year, we’ve tried to make this show like a mini-Grammys, but it hasn’t gotten to that point. But this year, it’s going to reach that level.”

And reach that level it did. Well, almost. 

As usual, the hour-long pre-Grammys appetizer served to announce the nominees for some of the year's biggest categories, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Here were some of my favorite and least favorite moments of the night:

Favorite: 

Lady Gaga’s Opening
Gaga opened with an explosive and elaborate rendition of “Marry The Night,” complete with billowing smoke, skeleton costume, and a hardcore dance routine. Wherever Gaga goes, she always seems to give it her all – and this performance was no exception. Honestly, the crowd was probably at its peak excitement during this opening act. 

Lady Gaga and Sugarland Duet
Sugarland and Gaga? At first, I was a bit skeptical of the creative pairing for Gaga’s new hit “You And I”, but the two singers’ voices went surprisingly well together. They turned out such a heartfelt collaboration that I was left convinced that Gaga could go country. Plus, both performers got really into the song (personalizing the lyrics, switching up the harmonies, and – did anyone else catch this? – staring deeply into each other’s eyes), and the crowd went crazy for them.

The Band Perry
How cute is this singing sibling trio? Every so often, that one sweet, homey country artist comes along who's always “just so happy to be here” – and this year’s is definitely The Band Perry. Lead singer and big sister Kimberly not only sang her heart out, but consistently thanked the audience for “accepting our songs into your hearts” and “changing our lives.” The band even stayed for a good half-hour after the show ended to play a full-length concert for the in-show audience. If I weren’t in love with them already, this show pushed me over the edge. Only downside: the youngest brother needs a new wardrobe: has he been wearing that white puffy-sleeved pirate shirt since the AMA’s?

Usher
Usher’s medley tribute to Leiber & Stoller and Ashford & Simpson was moving, and it showcased that velvety voice he’s seemed to have been hiding since 2004’s “Confessions.” The best part was when the entire audience, young and old, seemed to join in during the feel-good “Stand By Me” portion.

LL Cool J
As usual, the repeat Grammy Nominations host did an impressive job. He kept the energy up by moving around the room, talking to different people, and – of course – even running onstage and joining the Lupe Fiasco, Rick Ross and Common collaboration on “The Message.” The crowd loved it! Prior to that moment, I had almost forgotten that LL Cool J had been a successful artist back in the day. Hearing him rap again was a crystallizing moment to experience live… but don’t call it a comeback!

Least Favorite:

No Celebs
Noticeably absent from the crowd at the Nokia was… well, pretty much everyone. If you watched the show from home, you may have also noticed the lack of celebrities in the audience because of the excess of cuts to Bruno Mars and Nicki Minaj. That wasn’t a coincidence – it was because Bruno and Nicki were literally the cameramen’s only two options for audience reaction shots. I almost felt bad for LL Cool J when he seemed to be desperately perusing the rows for someone to interview – and especially when he finally settled on Grammys CEO Neil Portnow. 

Typos and Presenters
Embarrassing typos aside (Niki Minaj? Doo-Wops and Holigsns?), the Nominations concert also hosted a series of lackluster presenters. Nicki Minaj and actress Taraji P. Henson delivered their lines with all the emotion of evening newscasters, while Katy Perry flubbed almost every other line in her monologue. 

Quiet Crowd
For reasons mysterious, many of the performers chose to play songs that weren't as well-known - which curbed the excitement in the room a bit, since many people in the audience couldn't sing along. For instance, Usher’s homage excluded the given crowd-pleaser “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, The Band Perry held off on “If I Die Young” until their post-show concert, and Lupe Fiasco left the stage without performing (my personal favorite) "The Show Goes On." At one point in their set, The Band Perry yelled to the crowd to sing along to a cover of "Fat Bottomed Girls" - which only resulted in a chorus of half-mumbled lyrics. 

No Rihanna
This was definitely the most disappointing moment of the night. On all the commercials and promotions, Rihanna was advertised as one of the scheduled performers. So imagine my disappointment – and judging by the reactions of the crowd, everyone else's, too - when LL Cool J announced, “Now, live from London, Rihanna!" While the telecast of her performing “We Found Love” in the UK started up on the screens, all I could think about was how much more fun it would have been to hear that song live.

But overall, the show was a great experience – which bodes well for the upcoming Grammys (“on February 12 at 8 pm Eastern time,” as each presenter seemed to repeat so many times that the date was ingrained in my head by the time I left the theater). Check out the full list of nominees on CBS.com, and don't forget to tune in to the Grammys on February 12 to see which artists win big!

Reach reporter Jessica Men here.