The 2016 American Music Awards took place last night (Nov. 20) in Los Angeles. With celebrities, musicians and loads of seat fillers on hand, awards were given out to Justin Bieber, Drake and plenty others for their achievements over the past year. Jay Pharaoh and Gig Hadid hosted the affair that was kept interesting by the nearly 20 performances by the likes of Sting, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and others. We recap the top five, which include Green Day, Nicki Minaj & Ariana side to side, Twenty One Pilots and more.
5. Lady Gaga "Million Reasons" - On a night that featured big production, pyro and lasers, Lady Gaga went simple. She sat on a stage in the midst of a set up that looked like an open field with just her guitar. Without shoes, she belted out the words to the Joanne song "Million Reasons," hitting every note and taking them one step further.
4. Twenty One Pilots "Heathens / Stressed Out" - The duo won two awards on the night and had the chance to perform two of their biggest singles "Heathens" and "Stressed Out." On a night where some performances fell flat or were underwhelming, Twenty One Pilots put together an outstanding showing of these two singles.
3. Sting "Can't Stop Thinking About You" / "Message in a Bottle" / "Every Breath You Take"- The former Police frontman was honored with Award of Merit, but not before delivering a career spanning medley of hits. Showing he still has it 65 with a new album under his belt, the activist, prolific songwriter and performer went into the catalog of greatest hits and showed off what timeless music looks like for the crowd of stars whom many have not even had careers lasting a decade yet.
2. Nicki Minaj & Ariana Grande "Side To Side" - These two can do no wrong when they perform together. Linking up for their hit single "Side To Side," they must have pushed the censors to their limits, which were busy bleeping all night. The two ladies came out with a crew of shirtless men and several female dancers and showed their chemistry and stage persona, lighting up the television and stage.
1. Green Day "Bang Bang" - The band has been doing the award show circuit on the heels of their new album Revolution Radio and crushing every performance. Last night was no different and with an election in the bag not three weeks prior, it made sense for a little rebellious attitude to come out from Green Day. With big production and a powerful performance, Billy Joe Armstrong led the crowd during "Bang Bang" with a chant of "No Trump, No KKK, No fascist USA."
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
