CITY ABUZZ WITH SOUND OF MUSIC
VMAs bring glamour & a little glitz to NYC
The Video Music Awards brought celebrity, music and fashion to Radio City Music Hall on Monday.
Rapper Cardi B kicked off the show by bringing her baby on stage — no, not that one. The star, who was making her first public appearance since welcoming daughter Kulture last month, showed off a bundled up moonperson award, which she won earlier in the night for Song of the Summer for her No. 1 hit “I Like It.”
The star, 25, rocking a pixie cut and a flowing red gown, introduced the night’s first performer, Shawn Mendes, who sang his hit single “In My Blood.”
The track was nominated for three awards — Best Pop Video, Best Cinematography and Best Direction.
The show didn’t shy away from political statements; presenter Kevin Hart threw some political shade, joking that, “at this game, you’re allowed to kneel. There’s no old white men who can stop you,” and later telling President Trump to “suck it.”
Rapper Logic also donned a shirt that read “F--k the wall” while performing his song “One Day” with Ryan Tedder. The musicians were joined on stage by children from the groups United We Dream, Make the Road New York and Families Belong Together, wearing shirts that read, “We are all human beings.”
The show also included performances by Ariana Grande and Jennifer Lopez, who was honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. That honor is MTV’s equivalent to a lifetime achievement award. Jackson first appeared at the VMAs in 1988 where he was presented with the award that would be named after him in 1991.
Grande, who made her red carpet debut with fiancé Pete Davidson earlier in the night, gave her “Saturday Night Live” squeeze a shoutout during her acceptance speech for Best Pop Video.
“Pete Davidson, thanks for existing,” she said with a grin.
Her “Bed” collaborator Nicki Minaj, meanwhile, trekked downtown to perform “Majesty,” “Barbie Dreams,” “Ganja Burns” and “Fefe” on a special stage set up at the World Trade Center Oculus in a taped performance.
Winners for the night included Cardi B, who won for Best New Artist, Lopez, who won for Best Collaboration, Grande, who won for Best Pop and Camila Cabella, for Artist of the Year and Video of the Year.
Swedish DJ Avicii, who died in April, also picked up a posthumous win for Best Dance Video.
Aretha Franklin, who died Thursday at 76, also got a special shoutout from Madonna, who honored the Queen of Soul with a tangent-filled story about auditioning in Paris with Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman.”
Aerosmith closed out the show with a rollicking performance that also featured Post Malone and 21 Savage.
Peter Gabriel holds the record for most wins in a single night. The “Sledgehammer” singer took home 10 of the coveted “Moonman” trophies in 1987.
Among the VMA’s more memorable moments were Madonna’s sexy 1984 “Like a Virgin” performance in a wedding gown, Howard Stern’s 1992 appearance as superhero “Fartman,” and Miley Cyrus’ controversial 2013 visit, where she introduced middle America to twerking.
The only artist who has ever been banned from the VMAs is comedian Andrew Dice Clay, who in 1989 offended MTV execs by reciting dirty nursery rhymes before introducing Cher.
“Rockabye baby on the treetop,” he started. “Your mother’s a w--re, I ain’t your pop.”
The 2018 VMAs started with a red carpet arrival presentation hosted by model Winnie Harlow and TV personality Nessa. That included a performance atop the venue’s marquee by the Backstreet Boys, who are also set to serve as presenters. The ceremony is airing in 180 countries and is expected to be watched by nearly 500 million households.
The first VMA show was in 1984 at Radio City Music Hall and was hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler. The Cars won video of the year for “You Might Think.”
In the 34 years since, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami have played host. In 2016, which was the last time the VMAss took place in New York, Madison Square Garden hosted and Beyoncé won Video of the Year for “Formation.”