MTV’s VMAs threw a dazzling party on Wednesday night (September 11) to mark the 40th anniversary of the network’s flagship awards show. It was a three-hour extravaganza at New York’s UBS Arena that didn’t feature many on-screen awards shows but did feature plenty of lavish performances from some of the former video channel’s iconic stars to today’s chart-toppers on the pop scene.
Speaking of MTV royalty, Slim Shady himself was back in the building to open the show with a nod to one of his most memorable VMA moments, when Eminem took the stage in a blonde wig alongside a parade of Marshall Mathers lookalikes to perform “Houdini” and his Jelly Roll collaboration “Somebody Save Me.”
The first half of the show also featured BLACKPINK’s LISA making her VMA solo debut with a high-energy performance of her new Rosalía collaboration “New Woman,” followed by her solo single “Rockstar,” while Shawn Mendes performed his new moody Jeff Buckley-esque ballad “Nobody Knows.” Colombian superstar Karol G delivered a sensual performance of her hit single “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” (“If I Had Known You Before”) and Brazilian star Anitta turned the stage into a sparkling party with the premiere of “Paradise” with Fat Joe and DJ Khaled and later “Savage Funk” and “Alegría” with Tiago PZK.
Sabrina Carpenter took us to outer space with a medley of “Please Please Please,” “Taste,” and “Espresso” that was reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears. Katy Perry wowed us with a danceable mega-mix of her biggest hits before accepting her Video Vanguard Award, and the undisputed Viral Champion of 2024, Chappell Roan, gave us serious Roan of Arc vibes during her medieval-esque Gaga run of her breakout hit “Good Luck, Babe!”
Host Megan Thee Stallion set the mood with a fiery mashup of “BAS” and “Hiss,” capped off by a surprise appearance by Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba for “Mamushi,” Halsey rocked “Ego” from a suburban garage, Benson Boone freaked out in a glittery onesie while performing his breakthrough hit “Beautiful Things,” and rock icon Lenny Kravitz rocked “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” his disco-inflected 2024 single “Human” and the remake of 1998’s “Fly Away” featuring Migos’ Quavo, “Fly.”
One of the most spectacular scenes came during Puerto Rican rapper Rauw Alejandro’s Broadway-style VMA debut of “Touching the Sky,” which segued into a Caribbean drummer jam of “Diluvio,” followed by his latest single, “Déjame Entrar.” The show’s final hour also featured a double performance by Memphis rapper GloRilla of her Hot 100 hits “Yeah Glo!” and “TGIF,” and Camila Cabello bid a fiery farewell to her ex with a mix of “June Gloom” and a dazzling performance of “Godspeed.”
The evening closed with a career-long medley from LL Cool J, honoring Def Jam Records’ 40th anniversary with support from DJ Z-Trip and Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy, performing “Headsprung,” PE’s “Bring the Noise,” his own songs “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “Rock the Bells,” “Around the Way Girl” and “Goin’ Back to Cali,” as well as his new singles “Passion” and “Proclivities,” before moving into “Doin’ It,” a song he first performed at his last VMA performance in 1996.
Check out all* of the evening’s main stage performances below.
*At press time, video of Halsey’s performance was not available.
