Okay, so I cheated and saw it before airing on the West Coast. But really, Twitter spoiled the surprise coming during the Grammy performance of “Same Love,” so I don’t feel too bad about my impatience. Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert took the stage to perform their hit song promoting equality. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen this song performed live, but the passion Macklemore had while spitting those words out, and the crowd cheering after the famous “No freedom ’til we’re equal, damn right I support it” line got me watery in the eyes. 

Of course, hearing Mary Lambert sing the chorus was beautiful as well, and it was great to hear the crowd show their support for a woman who totally deserves it. Last but not least, Ryan Lewis, although a man of few words, was looking good doing whatever he does during the song, which I don’t know exactly what that is but thank goodness for that man’s talent and how he looks the way he does.

The biggest surprise of the performance was when Queen Latifah came running out, announcing that 33 couples have chosen to tie the knot then and there during the performance. The couples were gay/straight, black/white, young/old…and they were all going to get married in this huge way. After Queen Latifah officiated with a short speech, Madonna joined in on the fun, singing “Open Your Heart” to the instrumentals of “Same Love.”

This performance was so powerful in so many ways. I thought it was a big deal to see this song performed in front of the MTV audience, but for the audience of “music’s biggest night” to be watching this? It sends a powerful message, and I cannot thank Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert for working to make this song as big as it is. This performance and song has inspired so many people all over the world to be who they are, and that people care about them enough to fight for them. There was so much to love about this performance, and I loved every bit of it.