The VMA’s have given us music lovers some very memorable and iconic performances in it’s 27 years of broadcasting. Most of them were insane and controversial acts and those particularly unpredictable formula have made each shows stand out from all those stuffy Hollywood kudos fests. Here are my personal favorites of all-time, the ones that have been the most memorable and meaningful after all these years.
TOP # 10. Shakira's performance was by far the major highlight of the of the MTV VMA's 2002. Nobody moves like her. She performed her hit song 'Objection Tango' and totally rocked out with the remixed version.
TOP #9. It was the VMA's ultimate girlie-action moment with The Queen of Pop, Madonna, Britney Spears Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliot. Britney and Christina both dressed as brides, entered the stage together. They were soon joined by Madonna herself, dressed as a groom, who then locked lips with each of the pop tarts. Britney later told CNN, "I didn't know it was going to be that long and everything." But are we sure glad it was!
Top #8. In 2000, Eminem starting out on 6th Avenue leading a pack of hundreds of bleached blond, blue jean clad “Slim Shady” clones into the show, who dutifully followed him through the aisles of Radio City and onto the stage. That same year, Eminem proved that he was an artist to be reckoned with.
Top #7. MTV Video Music Awards 1997 have Sean Combs/Puff Daddy/P.Diddy/Diddy performed his hit single "I'll Be Missing You." The song was dedicated to the recently-deceased Notorious B.I.G. and included Biggie's widow, Faith Evans, R&B group 112 and a surprise appearance by Sting, who recreated the song's sample of his vocal from The Police classic "Every Breath You Take."
TOP #6. In VMA's 2001 Britney Spears obviously tried to go bigger for her "I'm a Slave 4 U" performance wowing the nation once again after previous year sultry striptease. She went for a rain-forest motif, complete with canned thunderclaps, a caged tiger, dancers dressed as zebras and the pièce de résistance: a giant albino python.
TOP #5. This performance came after the Taylor Swift incident in 2009 (don't we all hated Kanye for interrupting sweet Taylor during her acceptance speech?). Never the less, the man never fails to create the award show moment. Kanye’s VMA-closing performance of the never-before-heard rap/ballad “Runaway” was pure genius. The lyrical content (“i always find something wrong, you been putting up with my shit for way too long.” “let’s have a toast to the assholes”) worked because of the controversy, but the great thing about this performance was his use of the space, his back-up ballerinas to his all-red ensemble.
TOP #4. The always classy Beyonce performed 'Single Ladies' at the 2009 MTV VMA's and it was one heck of a performance with a crew of more than two dozen dancers wearing similar, though less bedazzled, leotards like Sasha Fierce. They all hair flopped and karate chopped their way through the complex, often-imitated choreography in unison. That really roused the crowd.
TOP #3. Ms. Jackson shut down the stage in 1993 VMA's and delivered a sensual and jaw-dropping performance of her monster hits - "That's the Way Love Goes" and "If" mashed into a mini-medley. Her choreography was on point, going from sexy to high energy and intricacy. And if she was lipping, well she did a clever job because the vocals aren’t exactly like the album recordings, so props for that. Surely one of her best performances.
TOP # 2. Everyone knows that the MTV VMAs aren't about who walks away with the moonman. The show's crazy antics of guests, hosts, and performers are the things that sets it apart from the other award shows. This insane yet amazing 1992 performance of Nirvana (the Fathers of the Grunge Movement) will forever be imprinted in my head. At that time, MTV's prohibiting Nirvana from playing the song they actually wanted to perform; Cobain wanted to go with "Rape Me," but the band was forced to play "Lithium" to appease the nervous network. After the performance, Krist Novoselic tosses his guitar into the air. It lands whacking him in the head and he stumbles offstage. Kurt Cobain starts tearing into the amps and everything descends to chaos. This is what rock and roll is all about.
TOP #1. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys joined forces at the 2009 VMA's for an explosive performance of the Big Apple anthem "Empire State of Mind." The hip-hop heavyweight (Jay-Z) made a grand entrance, arriving right as he was set to take the stage while Keys sat behind the piano. When Jay-Z was ending his final "Empire State of Mind" verse, Lil Mama came up from her seat in the crowd onto the stage and started bobbing her head to the beat. Jay looked surprised but continued to bop to the beat and even kept rapping.
There you go guys, my top picks of the best MTV Video Music Awards live performances.
