Taylor Swift Leads A White-Hot Circus At The Grammys

It took one of the biggest pop acts in the world to kick off one of the biggest nights in music. Taylor Swift took the stage at the 2013 Grammy Awards on Sunday night (February 10), and she singlehandedly set the tone with a showstopping performance of her Grammy-nominated pop hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."

Done up in an all-white ringmaster outfit, Swift's white-hot performance paid homage to the circus with a dash of "Alice in Wonderland" thrown in to complete the performance's madcap recipe. It opened with a crazed circus performer on a bicycle, driving across the stage, setting the zany mood for what was to come. From there, a sea of eccentric and kooky characters, all done up in red and white, took the stage to join the singer.

As the wacky master of ceremonies, Swift got her revenge on an ex beau by not only being nominated and performing at the Grammys, but also by tying him up to a spinning board for the world to see.

Mid-song, decked out in her shorts, tux jacket and top hat, she even remixed the track's now-infamous spoken-word bridge especially for the night, sharing, "And I'm like, 'I'm sorry. I'm busy opening up the Grammys, and we are never, ever getting back together. Like ever.' "

The spectacle was reminiscent of her November performance at the MTV EMA 2012 in Germany, where she also played a revenge-loving ringmaster. On Sunday, not only did Swift revisit her love for circus-themed performances, but she was also up for three awards: two nominations for her "Hunger Games" soundtrack song "Safe & Sound" and Record of the Year for her lead Red single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."