Top 10 Most Unforgettable Award Show Music Performances of All Time

“17th MTV Video Music Awards” (2000)

At the first VMAs of the 21st Century, Eminem and his alter ego Slim Shady stormed the stage to perform two tracks from “The Marshall Mathers LP.” The performance begins with “The Real Slim Shady.” When Eminem asks if the real one would stand up, he’s rapping it in front of an endless line of lookalikes in white t-shirts and jeans. He and his entourage of Slims storm Radio City Music Hall like an army. It’s a really edgy concept, but it also matches Eminem’s defiant voice. He’s ready to take over the whole show, the industry, and the world.

“12th Annual American Music Awards” (1985)

Coming off a banner year, the Minneapolis-born singer-songwriter and musical renaissance man had become a bonafide movie star, and that movie’s title song became an anthem. With “Purple Rain,” Prince brought his singular energy and persona to the 1985 AMAs and tore the place down. The audience is screaming before he even makes it to the first chorus. It’s a performance that requires technical precision and artistic mastery, but it’s so explosive that it feels like he’s improvising. By the end, he’s so lost in the song he kicks over the mic stand and shreds on the guitar for the last minute of the six minute presentation.

“17th MTV Video Music Awards” (2000)


Just the year before, she was prancing around in a school setting for her performance. When Britney Spears brought her newest single, “Oops!... I Did It Again” to the VMA stage, she was met with thunderous applause and a heaping dose of scandal. Things start innocently enough, with the pop star in a spiffy suit and hat that’s part-Michael Jackson, part-Fred Astaire. And then there’s the reveal. But it’s the tearaway to a sparkling nearly nude illusion that made it the most unforgettable, and controversial, performance of the night. It’s also the moment she went from teen idol to grown-up superstar. She upped the ante the next year with a special guest star, an Albino python.

“1st MTV Video Music Awards” (1984)

The Queen of Pop has been stunning the VMA audience for decades. Her ballroom-inspired performance of “Vogue” is iconic, but her 1984 appearance is pure Madonna. The star presented her single, “Like a Virgin,” after emerging from a huge wedding cake in a very revealing bridal gown. If the song’s lyrics aren’t suggestive enough, Madonna drives the subtext home by writhing on the ground and practically moaning for the entire audience. The night it aired, even her manager thought she’d killed her career in one fell swoop. Four decades on, she’s still here, and this is tame compared to what the show sees now.

“12th MTV Video Music Awards” (1995)

Does anyone else think it’s rude that they’d have a VMA ceremony in the middle of a Michael Jackson concert? He helped make MTV the juggernaut it became. It only makes sense that they’d give Michael Jackson a whole 15-minute slot. Jackson sings and dances through almost 20 years of hits. For that 15 minutes, he showcases every talent in his arsenal, and when you’ve got this much talent, even that doesn’t seem like enough time. It’s such a huge production, there are literal standing ovations in the middle of it. Like any performance he ever gave, he and his troupe of incredible dancers make it all look effortless.

“40th Annual Grammy Awards” (1998)

The acclaimed tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, fell ill ahead of the 1998 Grammy Awards, where he was due to receive a Grammy Legend award and sing Puccini’s famed aria, “Nessun Dorma.” He had the best substitute anyone could hope for. On the night, Aretha Franklin stepped up in his absence. Fortunately, producer Ken Ehrlich had seen Franklin nail the same aria a few nights before, and simply asked her to reprise it in Pavarotti’s stead. The soul legend’s take on a seminal piece of classical music is a master class in technique and vocal power. Every incredible artist in the place was on their feet for her that night.

“26th MTV Video Music Awards” (2009)

Some artists release great pop songs and storm the charts. Some artists release great pop songs and change the way artists engage with their own art on stage. Most of Lady Gaga’s singles were upbeat, cheeky hits like “Poker Face.” At the 2009 VMAs, she chose to highlight her fifth single, “Paparazzi,” a chart-friendly treatise on the obsession with fame. The production highlights the song’s dark themes. Facing the audience, a blood pack starts to bleed through her white costume, running down her torso. She ends the song, covered in blood and dangling over her dancers, a victim of fame. The gasps from the audience say it all.

“24th Billboard Music Awards” (2017)

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of “Titanic,” the Billboard Music Awards invited Céline Dion to sing the film’s timeless theme, “My Heart Will Go On.” It’s a performance as opulent and visually striking as the movie itself. From Dion’s sculptural couture gown to that stunning chandelier set piece, the performance is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. That’s to say nothing of Dion’s voice. She sounds just as good as she did when she first recorded it. With time, her take on the song of an eternal love only sounds more poignant 20 years on.

“20th MTV Video Music Awards” (2003)

Nearly two decades after she popped out of a giant cake, Madonna returned to cause even more bridal chaos with some of contemporary pop’s biggest young stars. Opening the show with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliott, she crashes her own tribute to show the next generation how to do it. Times have changed, and they’ve got to up the ante on the shock factor. Cue the kisses that shook the world. The magnitude of this moment cannot be overstated. This unplanned moment took a fun opening to the show and made it infamous.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

A Pared-Down Performance Showcases the Legendary Vocalist’s Talent

The Elusive Chanteuse’s First Trip to the Grammys Was a Triumph

An Odd Pairing, but a Successful One

She Won Two Awards the Same Night She Raised the Rafters

The South Korean Boy Band Stopped the Show with Their James Bond-Inspired Show

“33rd MTV Video Music Awards” (2016)

In 2011, she dazzled us all with key changes and announced her pregnancy. Hot on the heels of a groundbreaking visual album and just generally setting the world on fire with supernova levels of talent and fame, Beyoncé blessed us once again at the 2016 VMAs. Performing five songs from her album, “Lemonade,” the performance is peak Beyoncé. It has boundless energy, killer moves, and unreal vocals. Washed in dramatic light and nailing the demanding choreography with precision, she is a consummate artist. Later that year, she’d join the Chicks at the CMAs for a barnburning performance that would inspire even more conversation.


Which of these performances did you watch live? Let us know in the comments.