The highlight of this year's Grammys might come in the form of older acts. Rumors have surfaced that AC/DC, U2 and Madonna have all been tapped to perform at the awards show Feb. 8. This would make complete sense since those three acts have or are working on new albums: AC/DC with Rock or Bust, U2 with Songs of Innocence and Madonna with Rebel Heart.
Hits Daily Double first reported the rumors — it is the same source that said AC/DC is in the frontrunning to headline Coachella. No other information was given, but considering the diversity of the three and the show's tradition of booking young and seasoned performers, this is looking pretty plausible. AC/DC would certainly liven up the show.
Last year, Paul McCartney, Metallica and Daft Punk were just a few of the performers to take the stage at the Grammys. McCartney and Ringo Starr were honored at a separate show highlighting The Beatles's 50th anniversary of playing The Ed Sullivan Show.
U2's Songs of Innocence was given away to iTunes users in September. The band partnered with Apple for the surprise release. Bono and the boys released a limited vinyl edition of the album for sale later, making the effort eligible for the Grammys.
"As long as the album — be it CD, vinyl or digital — is available commercially for sale to the public by our eligibility cutoff date at a nationally recognized retailer or website, then it's eligible for consideration," a rep told Rolling Stone.
Madonna tried to keep her new music out of the public's hands, but tracks from Rebel Heart have been leaking over the Internet for a while. The artist countered by making a few songs available for purchase and moving up the release date from April to March. Some finished pieces are reportedly due out in February — perhaps right around Grammy time.
Madonna showed up last year during Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's "Same Love" performance. Check it out below:
