Kerry King’s short but sweet tribute to Jeff Hanneman

Given how news about Hanneman’s death had broken just hours before the show, it was a given that everyone would pay their respects to the Slayer guitarist in some fashion. However, the entire room was rightfully shocked when Kerry King walked onstage with Zakk Wylde to present the award for “Best Live Band.” Without a doubt, King’s “moment of noise” for his fallen bandmate was a standout moment and the most fitting tribute.

The Dillinger Escape Plan’s set had everything; blood, fire and even Chino Moreno!

It was a given that The Dillinger Escape Plan wouldn’t let the notion of being on TV tame their performance. But we couldn’t believe that singer Greg Puciato began gushing blood from his forehead midway through the first song (the FIRST song!). As if that didn’t already make them a contender for best performance of the entire night, the band was also joined by Deftones’ Chino Moreno for a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Behind The Wheel,” before Puciato ended the show with a fireball.

“And the winner is… why is this envelope blank?”

Granted, all live broadcasts have their fair share of difficulties. But it seemed odd that the gold envelopes that were supposed to have winners’ names written on them appeared blank on multiple occasions. Making the situation even more awkward was when presenters like David Draiman made the flub known to the crowd.

Halestorm cover Led Zeppelin with David Draiman

Speaking of David Draiman, the Disturbed/Device frontman joined Halestorm for a cover of “Whole Lotta Love.” While the performance was enjoyable enough, definitely seemed like a missed opportunity for the two powerhouse singers to perform another cover they sang together.