The Billboard Music Awards were loaded with Top 40 artist performances. Some artists went with what got them to the dance. Others made bolder statements. Here are our picks for the best and worst.
17.) Britney Spears may have had some impressive ’90s theatrics, but poor lip sync will always kill a performance.
16.) Madonna‘s tribute to Prince was passable, but we’ve seen so many better tributes in the past month. Not even Stevie Wonder could make this memorable.
15.) “Seven Years” is a great song, but Lukas Graham needed to do more with it to stand out against the whizz and bang his fellow performers were putting out.
14.) Pink has many better songs than “Just Like Fire,” but at least she justified the selection by bringing in some impressive pyrotechnics.
13.) While several other performers opted to go with backup dancers, Troye Sivan’s only accompaniment on stage was a maelstrom of light and fog.
12.) Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton gave a straitlaced performance of “Go Ahead and Break My Heart,” but since the couple puts their soul into it every time they do this song, it was more than enough.
11.) The coolest part of Justin Bieber‘s performance wasn’t Bieber. It was the breathtaking light show happening all around him.
10.) Fifth Harmony kept it simple: striking outfits, flawless choreography, and a crowd-pleasing rendition of “Work From Home.”
9.) Even 40 years later, Belinda Carlisle and The Go Go’s still got the beat.
8.) Demi Lovato‘s clever choice of attire is the latest form of protest against North Carolina’s LGBT bathroom law.
7.) Ariana Grande took a stumble on the red carpet, but was flawless during her performance of “Dangerous Woman” and “Into You.”
6.) Shadows and eerie green light played across Rihanna‘s face as she performed “Love on the Brain.”
5.) Nick Jonas brought in Tove Lo for an intimate, mirror-themed performance of “Close.”
4.) She’s been called gaudy and overwrought, but no matter what your opinion, Celine Dion commands everyone’s attention. Her performance of “The Show Must Go On” was no different.
3.) Meghan Trainor has just as much confidence onstage as Beyonce. When she strutted through the Vegas crowd during her performance of “No,” it was impossible not to buy in.
2.) DNCE was pure fun, breaking out into a rendition of “Cake by the Ocean” complete with balloons and confetti.
1.) Kesha stole the night, no doubt about it. The woman who got her big break brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack finally showed the world what she’s truly capable of as a singer. That is how a Bob Dylan song is supposed to be performed.
