Buff - It seems like it goes either way with these awards shows. In this case, the sounds of the instruments in the bands was excellent - Crystal clear. it's just that the vocal mics had no mid-range or punch. Kind of odd, because the presenters' mics sounds great. It got a bit better as the night went on, so that tells me the sound folks were getting input that vocals needed fixing.
All concerts I've ever done, we've checked and double-checked the sound mix before - and most importantly - during the shows, because with extra bodies in the audience, it changes the acoustics and sound absorption.
BYW, I saw the Moody Blues last summer at an outdoor concert. While they're not one of my favorite bands, their sound blew me away. When I closed my eyes, it sounded like listening to an album. And that's tough to do in an outdoor setting. But then, every act sounded great at that festival. Def Leppard was the best.