Tuesday night’s (Sept. 12) 2023 MTV Video Music Awards had a little something for everyone, from Olivia Rodrigo‘s explosive “Vampire/Get Him Back!” medley to the night’s emcee, Nicki Minaj, previewing an unnamed Pink Friday 2 track and performing “Last Time I Saw You,” to Karol G‘s neon-drenched “Oki Doki/Ta OK” performance, Doja Cat‘s spooky “Attention/Paint the Town Red” trifecta and the show-closing all-star hip-hop 50th anniversary tribute featuring DMC, Doug E. Fresh, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, LL Cool J, Lil Wayne and Minaj.
The long, long night swung from country to hip-hop, pop, Latin and rock, with Kelsea Ballerini performing the world premiere performance of “Penthouse,” Fall Out Boy playing their updated Billy Joel cover of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Shakira‘s mind-bending, hip-shaking medley of hits before accepting her landmark Video Vanguard Award and a strong showing from K-Pop acts Stray Kids (“S-Class”) and Tomorrow X Together with Anitta (“Back For More”).
Peso Pluma represented for Regional Mexican music with an arresting run through his track “Lady Gaga,” NLE Choppa roped in Nelly for a medley of his “Ain’t Gonna Answer” and his take on the St. Louis legend’s “It’s Getting Hot,” while Metro Boomin’ flooded the zone with Future, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Swae Lee and Nav for the first broadcast performances of “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” and “Calling.”
Italian rockers Måneskin returned to the VMA stage with slightly more clothes to rip through their new single, “Honey (Are U Coming?),” while Lil Wayne stacked up his new single, “Kat Food,” with a medley that also featured “Back That Azz Up” and “Uproar” and Global Icon Award winner Diddy presented a medley of his biggest hits, including “I’ll Be Missing You/Bad Boys For Life/I Need a Girl.”
Speaking of killer career overviews, Demi Lovato previewed her new Revamped album, with rocked-up versions of “Heart Attack/Sorry Not Worry/Cool For Summer,” on a night when Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed their new NSFW single “Bongos” live for the first time and Anitta danced across the stage to “Used to Be/Funk Rave/Grip.”
Check out all the night’s main stage performances below.
NLE Choppa feat. Nelly — “Ain’t Gonna Answer/It’s Getting Hot”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Vampire/Get Him Back!”
Anitta — “Used to Be/Funk Rave/Grip”
Lil Wayne — “Back That Azz Up/Uproar/Kat Food”
Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion — “Bongos”
Demi Lovato — “Heart Attack/Sorry Not Sorry/Cool For Summer”
Doja Cat — “Attention/Paint the Town Red/Demons”
Shakira — “She Wolf/Te Felicito/TQG/Objection (Tango)/Hips Don’t Lie/Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53”
Nicki Minaj — “Last Time I Saw You” (plus snippet of unnamed new song)
Diddy (feat. King Combs, Keyshia Cole)– “Ill Be Missing You/It’s All About the Benjamins/Last Night/Mo’ Money, Mo Problems/Bad Boys For Live/I Need a Girl”
Stray Kids — “S-Class”
Peso Pluma — “Lady Gaga”
Metro Boomin feat. Future, Swae Lee, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Nav — “Superhero/Calling”
Karol G — “Oki Doki/Tá Ok”
Fall Out Boy — “We Didn’t Start the Fire”
Tomorrow X Together feat. Anitta — “Back For More”
Måneskin — “Honey (Are U Coming?)”
Kelsea Ballerini — “Penthouse”
Hip-Hop 50th Anniversary Medley feat. Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh and Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five
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