Did you catch the AMA’s last night? Yeah, I originally wasn't going to watch them either, but morbid curiosity and all eventually ruled out. As a kid, I used to watch all the major awards shows when they came on, but BET and MTV, I don’t even bother with anymore because they cause me too much physical pain, and I haven’t seemed to catch the Billboard Awards in forever. So that only leaves the top two award shows, the Grammy’s and the AMA’s. Much to my surprise, there were actually some pretty interesting performances on this one. I wouldn't say that they were all good, but they certainly make for interesting web fodder. Usher started the night off, showcasing his always impressive vocal range and physique to match. At 34, he proves that he still has what it takes to not only be relevant, but be better than the generation of “wanna-be’s” that he inspired in the first place. I mean really think about it…Would we have a Chris Brown, Trey Songz, or Justin Bieber if it weren't for Usher….I Think Not.
Other notable performances include Kelly Clarkson….who is celebrating 10 years in the industry by releasing a greatest hits album…..10 years?? Can you believe that it’s really been that long already? She is still the most successful American Idol Act there has ever been, and she has continued to define her own sound on her own terms. You have to remember that when she came out back in 2002, pop music was still under the reign of its resident teen queens: Brittney Spears & Christina Aguilera. From the beginning, I always thought that Kelly Clarkson could sing both of them under a ladder, and sure enough, I was right. Aguilera, also has an equal strong voice, but after being in the business for 15 years, still hasn’t really learned how to use it. Not everything needs to be so extra and over-vocalized; sometimes less is more. I’ve heard her sing well-known Christmas songs that I didn’t even recognize by the time she was done with them. I feel like telling her “We all know that your voice is “hella-powerful”…..Ok, point taken. But sometimes all of that abrasive “soulfulness” is grating on even the most forgiving of ears.”
Moving right along, Ke$ha was smutty as ever…but then again, what else is new. I can’t help but wonder, “Who Exactly Is Her Fan Base?” I’ve never heard of a single person that actually liked her as an artist, or at least openly admitted to it. The song she performed was somewhere along the lines of, and I quote, “Let’s Make The Most of This Night, Cause We’re Gonna Die Young.” It seems as though every popular song out currently has the same recurring theme…”Partying it up in the club until you have no more time left on this Earth”…WHAT?? If this is your viewpoint on how you would like to spend your last days and time, then you have about has much depth as a rain puddle….I’m just sayin…
There were two especially pleasant surprises were in the performances Sunday Night; the first of which being Nicki Minaj Yes, you heard me right…I said Nicki Minaj. Now we all know that I have never been a fan of hers, but there is proof out there on the internet that once upon a time she actually used to have pretty good flow when she rapped. I think we saw a taste of that last night. I was really expecting an outlandish repeat of her Grammy performance earlier this year of the song with the whole pseudo-religious sort of thing she had going on before. Needless to say, it stunk on ice…..What we got instead was a surprisingly low-key performance which for once showed off her actual lyrical prowess, rather than just her crazy, out-there image.
However, the real treat for me was Taylor “T-Swizzle” Swift, and her performance of “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Now those who know me, know that I have always said that if “Swifty” wants to eventually be taken seriously as an adult vocalist (after all, she is 22), she is going to have to create an edgier sound, and somewhat stray away from the “tween” market that she has successfully had on lock for the last 3 years. I was really expecting her to come out on stage with her guitar, and a long flowing white dress; singing songs of teen angst, and as a result, leave the audience wondering which ex-boyfriend inspired such tune. This is a typical Taylor Swift performance…..I was wrong. She just came out on the stage and completely rocked it. For the first time, you could actually see her as adult performer, and not a teenager. She had a complete costume change right in the middle of the stage from said long, flowing white dress to a sexier, red and black dress. From the combination of the song’s hard beat, mixed with her powerful vocals- I would have never known it was a Taylor Swift song if I wasn't looking directly at it on my TV screen.
By far, the best performance of the evening, (just like the Grammy’s earlier this year) was from Pink; whose interpretation of the song “Try” was nothing short of amazing. This chick was literally fighting through song, doing all kinds of acrobatics, and singing at the same time. (Side Note: With that being said, I really wonder how she must react to folks who lip-sync their way through live performances…. “Slackers”...). There was so much emotionally-charged conflict going on in this performance, that I couldn't take my eyes away for even a second. You could see the pain she felt as the man she loved unapologetically abused her; and the strength and courage it took for her to walk away.
The evening’s biggest surprise however was that of PSY’s runaway hit “Gangnam Syle. You’ve pretty much lived in a cave for the past month if you haven’t heard of how ridiculously popular this song has become. Why, is beyond me. This was probably the only song performed on that stage throughout the course of the night that probably no one understood a single word too. I mean, “What Does Gangnam Style Mean Anyway?” Do any of us really know? But yet people are walking around singing it and viewing it on YouTube like there’s no tomorrow. But I guess as long it has a club beat, people will buy it. The hilarious thing was to see otherwise dignified, rich people looking like complete fools doing the dance in the middle of the aisles. That was completely worth the price of admission. And then, to make matters worse, as if Gangnam Style wasn't already bad enough….they up and bring out MC Hammer for a remix of his hit “2 Legit To Quit,” with the song. Hammer was up on stage doing the same dance moves at 50-something that he did 20 years ago at 30-something, and it was a wrap. My jaw was dropped the remainder of the performance.
And there you have it…a brief re-cap of the highlights of the 2012 AMA’s…..What did you think about the show as a whole? In your opinion, what were some of the best and the worst performances? Let me know by commenting below.
Until Next Time…