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From jaw-dropping Super Bowl spectacles to intimate Grammy moments, these live performances defined their respective years. Join us as we celebrate the most electrifying musical moments from each year this century! From Eminem's army of look-alikes to Prince's legendary guitar solo, Beyoncé's pregnancy reveal to Taylor Swift's record-breaking tour, these performances changed the game.
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00:00Stop the track, let me say facts, I told you give me a minute and I'll be right back.
00:06Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic live music moments of every year of the century so far.
00:14For this list, we're only including widely available or televised performances, as opposed to bootleg footage from concert tours.
00:21And you know we don't shout, how live, ain't no, you'll be like, oh my god.
00:272000, Eminem, 17th MTV Video Music Awards
00:34Marshall Mathers and all his aliases crashed onto the world stage as the new millennium dawned.
00:46In 2000, he was at the height of his newfound fame.
00:50The hysteria around him had teenagers rapping along and taking style notes while their parents clutched their pearls.
00:56So his VMA's performance that year reflects the paranoia surrounding him and his aggressive lyrics and style.
01:03It just might be the next best thing, but not quite me.
01:06I'm Slim Shady, yes I'm the real shady, all your other Slim Shady's are just in my titty.
01:10Surrounded by dozens of Slim Shady lookalikes, his spirited medley of two songs from his landmark album, the Marshall Mathers LP,
01:18is an impressive and immediately classic display of his showmanship and attitude.
01:232001, Britney Spears, 18th MTV Video Music Awards
01:34The so-called princess of pop had stunned the audience at the VMA's the previous year
01:45with her scandalously sensual rendition of Oops, I Did It Again.
01:49Britney Spears raised the snakes, sorry, stakes, at the 2001 ceremony.
02:01Full of scantily clad dancers and fog effects, the performance of her hit I'm a Slave for You
02:06has gone on to become one of the most memorable in VMA history.
02:10Most of that has to do with the appearance of a very special guest.
02:14The image of a glistening Spears draping an albino python over her shoulders cemented this
02:20as a defining moment of the Y2K era.
02:222002, U2, Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show.
02:35Before you found a friend
02:37To take you out of this place
02:42Airing only five months after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
02:47The 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans was expected to be a more somber occasion than usual.
02:53The NFL actually bumped the original scheduled halftime performer Janet Jackson in favor of U2.
02:59Their halftime show was 12 minutes of supreme musicianship
03:03and a catharsis after months of grief and fear.
03:06In the middle of their songs, MLK and Where the Streets Have No Name,
03:17McCraw listing the names of all the 9-11 victims was projected behind them.
03:22The audience's tears as frontman Bono opened his coat to reveal an American flaglining said it all.
03:282003, Red Hot Chili Peppers
03:39Red Hot Chili Peppers live at Slane Castle
03:42Slane Castle is almost legendary for the decades of rock concerts on its grounds.
03:53In 2003, the funk, metal, rock, fusion band Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded an amazing live concert there.
04:01One of the concert's best moments is their performance of By The Way, leading into Scar Tissue.
04:14They sound great and they are giving this their all, but what's really special is the energy.
04:20Everyone on screen looks completely blissed out.
04:23It's so good, you actually see someone in the audience just fall over at one point.
04:28Look, that could be anything.
04:30We'll just chalk that up to the excitement of seeing an incredible show.
04:332004, Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, and Danny Harrison
04:47Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
04:50Three years after his death, former Beatle and successful solo artist George Harrison
05:02was inducted into the storied Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
05:06To pay tribute, the event brought together Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra,
05:12Steve Winwood, Harrison's son Danny, and Prince.
05:15There's no question this is a star-studded lineup.
05:19However, Prince emerges as the MVP as soon as he launches into what is potentially one
05:24of the greatest guitar solos ever captured on film.
05:27You were a guitarist, Jackie Green.
05:35What made it even sweeter was that Prince had been left off of Rolling Stone magazine's
05:40greatest guitarist list only days before.
05:43He went on that stage with the intention to prove how massive an oversight this was.
05:562005, Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone
05:5947th Annual Grammy Awards
06:01Paying tribute to one of the most indelible voices in rock music is daunting enough.
06:07Joining British soul singer Joss Stone for a Janis Joplin tribute,
06:10Melissa Etheridge had endured her chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer weeks before.
06:16The 2005 Grammy ceremony was her first big stage appearance since her diagnosis.
06:29Peace of My Heart is not a song for the weak-hearted or the weak-voiced.
06:33If this song requires anything, it's energy, and it's clear she's giving it everything she's got.
06:47Etheridge later admitted that she was exhausted halfway through the song.
06:50She could have fooled us.
06:52It's electric and an incredible show of talent no matter the circumstances.
06:57You know you got it
06:59If it makes you feel good
07:02Yes it does
07:052006, Shaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, India Arie, Prince and Stevie Wonder
07:116, BET Awards
07:14The amount of talent on this stage should be illegal.
07:17Shaka Khan received a tribute befitting a queen at the 2006 BET Awards ceremony,
07:23and it's a celebration befitting a true queen.
07:26Tell me something good
07:29Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me
07:33Prince acts as lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and music director.
07:37He leads a supergroup, including gospel singer Yolanda Adams, R&B singer-songwriter India Arie,
07:44and the prodigiously talented Stevie Wonder himself through an extended medley.
07:56Most of Khan's biggest hits are represented.
07:59What sends it over the edge is when Khan herself joins in on the fun halfway through.
08:04Naturally, the whole thing ends with a stunning rendition of I'm Every Woman that brings the house down.
08:182007, Prince, Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show
08:22Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.
08:28There are moments when performers seem to be superhuman.
08:31This is one of them.
08:33Rain had been falling for most of the Super Bowl game on February 4th, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium.
08:39As Prince performed his biggest hits for an audience of millions, a downpour began.
08:44Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?
08:48Oh, no, let's go, let's go, let's go, break.
08:51Raindrops streaked the cameras, obscuring the whole show.
08:54The stage, formed in the shape of his love symbol, became slicked with rain,
08:59turning it into a slipping hazard.
09:02Despite all this, or maybe even because of it, it's top-tier entertainment.
09:07Somebody take my picture with all this rain inside.
09:10Baby, come on.
09:13This is the kind of epic show every rock star aspires to give.
09:17It's a collision of immense talent and less-than-perfect circumstances that turned into pure magic.
09:23Only wanna see you, see you.
09:26Can I play this guitar?
09:322008, Amy Winehouse, 50th Annual Grammy Awards.
09:37Due to visa issues, the English singer-songwriter was unable to make the trip to the ceremony.
09:43Somehow, that made Amy Winehouse's appearance via satellite even more special.
09:48This performance was as much a celebration of her amazing year with the Back to Black album and a comeback,
10:02as she had recently made headlines with her personal struggles.
10:05But her distinctive vocal stylings and highly improvisational approach to her music were on full display here.
10:12Performing You Know I'm No Good and Rehab, Whitehouse gives the audience at home a real taste of her performance style.
10:27She's not here to sound exactly like her records.
10:30She's feeling each moment and giving us the impression she's just making this up as she goes along.
10:352009, Lady Gaga, 26th MTV Video Music Awards.
10:47Amidst all of these flashing lights, I pray the fame won't take my life.
10:52At first, we didn't know what to expect from the artist behind Poker Face and Just Dance.
10:58But when it came to her live performances, Lady Gaga wasn't just here to perform the songs as we knew them.
11:04She gave us elaborate theatrical productions.
11:07Paparazzi is probably the pinnacle of her early career themes of fame and the way it can destroy a person.
11:14Her 2009 VMA's performance brings out the horror and violence behind this already haunting pop song.
11:29And then, of course, there's that famous moment.
11:32You can hear the gasps in the audience as the stage blood begins to run down her costume.
11:37It's not just a performance.
11:39It's her entire artistic statement.
11:412010, Pink, 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
11:50Before she was shooting herself across packed arenas and dazzling us with aerial stunts,
12:04many of us got our first taste of Pink's love for acrobatics at the 2010 Grammys.
12:09Things started out simply enough.
12:11Pink took to the stage to sing a pretty love ballad, Glitter in the Air.
12:15Then, she joined a group of dancers spinning with fabrics that lifted the singer into the air over the audience.
12:21It absolutely stopped the show.
12:31Defying gravity and twirling at high speeds, Pink's voice never wavers.
12:36She didn't even falter when she was covered in water near the end of the song.
12:40The whole thing looked and sounded incredible.
12:432011, Beyonce, 28th MTV Video Music Awards.
12:582011 was the year Adele broke records and won millions of fans with her second album, 21.
13:12Her Brit Awards performance of Someone Like You is still fondly remembered.
13:17However, we can't pretend Love on Top just didn't happen.
13:29There's a lot to juggle with this song.
13:31It's high energy all the way through, and the progressive key changes at the climax require a mastery of technique.
13:38Beyonce, as always, makes it look effortless.
13:49Then comes the big finish.
13:51Beyonce unsnapped her glittery jacket and rubbed her stomach, signaling that she was pregnant.
13:57It made this already superlative show unforgettable.
14:012012, Heart, 35th Annual Kennedy Center Honors.
14:20Honoring rock gods Led Zeppelin, the Wilson sisters paid tribute in the most epic way imaginable.
14:27Joined by drummer Jason Bonham, the son of Zeppelin's late drummer and backed by a choir,
14:32Heart's ethereal rendition of Stairway to Heaven is worthy of its title.
14:43This is a rock symphony.
14:45Ann Wilson's vocals are on point, the musicians are killing it, and the room is completely spellbound.
14:51Everyone in the crowd seems to recognize how special a moment this is.
15:01But it's most moving for founding members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones,
15:07who have tears in their eyes throughout.
15:09Stay away, to have fun.
15:152013, Beyonce and Destiny's Child.
15:19Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show.
15:22The announcement that Beyonce would be headlining her first Super Bowl halftime show as a solo artist,
15:32had the rumor mill turning.
15:34A Destiny's Child reunion was imminent, and we all knew it.
15:39But she had already brought the house down by the time Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams popped out of the stage to join her.
15:45We weren't sure we could handle this, actually.
15:56Neither could the power grid, apparently.
15:58The stadium experienced a blackout soon after the performance.
16:02Okay, technically the halftime show had nothing to do with the power outage, but it's fun to imagine.
16:072014, Daft Punk, Niall Rogers, Pharrell Williams, and Stevie Wonder.
16:2256th Annual Grammy Awards.
16:24Daft Punk joined Pharrell Williams and Niall Rogers for a dance medley that included their joint hit Get Lucky.
16:31But for an extra dose of excitement, Stevie Wonder joined them on vocals and keys.
16:36While this is supposed to be your standard showcase for a Grammy-nominated song, they went above and beyond for their presentation.
16:50They chose to pay tribute to the songs and genres that inspired Get Lucky, as well as Daft Punk's past work.
16:57The stage is dressed like a 70s recording studio, all earth tones, before transforming into a neon space-age fantasy, when Daft Punk shows up in their astronaut gear.
17:14It's part award show performance, part dance party.
17:252015, Aretha Franklin.
17:2838th Annual Kennedy Center Honors.
17:30Carole King is responsible for writing some of the most famous songs of the 20th century.
17:35One of them became the signature song of the Queen of Soul herself.
17:47You know you're a big deal when Aretha Franklin herself appears to honor you.
17:51King herself can hardly believe it.
17:53Sitting down at the piano in her elegant fur coat, Franklin treats us to a rendition of A Natural Woman.
18:00So powerful, it has President Obama wiping tears away.
18:04If I take your hat, I don't need you.
18:10Several decades into her career here, Franklin's immaculate pipes have never sounded better.
18:16When she throws that fur off and starts wailing into the mic, she has the entire crowd on its feet.
18:292016, Kendrick Lamar.
18:3158th Annual Grammy Awards.
18:33Once I finish this, if you listen, it's sure you will agree.
18:36Been feeling this way since I was 16.
18:38Come to my senses.
18:39You never liked this anyway.
18:40Book your friendship, I meant it.
18:42Presenting three songs from his acclaimed 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar's
18:47Grammy performance called on traditions of dance, struggle, and resistance.
18:52He begins the performance as a member of a chain gang on a prison set, before breaking the chains and launching into a journey through time and space.
19:00It's performance art, steeped in a culture constantly under assault, but determined to persevere.
19:07Acres and a mule, a piano with guitar.
19:09Then you see my name is Lucy, I'm your dog.
19:12You can live with Lamar.
19:13Lamar shifts between modes and levels of intensity throughout the performance.
19:18From despair to anger to hope, from storyteller to pastor to renegade, it's a stunning feat of musicality, acting, style, and concept that is so much bigger than one moment.
19:292017, Lady Gaga, Super Bowl 51 halftime show.
19:39Beginning the show on top of Houston's massive NRG stadium, the Born This Way singer jumped off the roof and descended on wires to the stage below.
19:55We instantly knew we were in for something special.
20:00After that meme-worthy entrance, Gaga displayed all the skills she had sharpened over almost a decade of being one of our foremost pop icons.
20:09She and her dancers cycle through a medley of her career hits at breakneck speed.
20:22It's frenetic and fast-paced, but it never feels sloppy or out of control.
20:26Like all her performances, it's perfectly calibrated for theatricality and technical mastery.
20:322018, Beyoncé, 19th Coachella Festival.
20:47Her two-night engagement at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was nicknamed Beechella by the fans, and it did not disappoint.
21:05Representing Beyoncé's growth and artistic development over the past several years, the celebratory vibe of the concert is evident.
21:13Initially watched via livestream by nearly half a million people, the best moments were later assembled for her Homecoming documentary.
21:21There are too many highlights to count, but D.Va is a definite standout.
21:36From the response from the audience to the way she hits all those moves, it's all the proof you need that she's one of the best in the game.
21:432019, Billie Eilish, Saturday Night Live.
21:55The bass-thumping, hard-edged trap-hop hit is already dripping with cool excess.
22:00Billie Eilish and her team took it a step further for her SNL appearance.
22:04Taking a page out of Fred Astaire's book of all people, Eilish performed Bad Guy in a specially made rotating box.
22:18Jumping around the rigged set, Eilish cooed into the mic between dancing on the ceiling and walls.
22:23She makes near-seamless transitions while the camera stays in place, and the box she performs in is rotated on its axis.
22:39The effect is striking and surreal, defying gravity and expectations for a famously subdued song.
22:452020, Taylor Swift and Bon Iver. Folklore, The Long Pond Studio Sessions.
23:00The year of quarantine, Swift dropped an album that had her sound taking a hard left after years of pop hits.
23:07Folklore was more introspective, with a folk and Americana-driven sound.
23:12I think I've seen this film before, so I'm leaving out the side door.
23:18In lieu of a tour, she opted to lock down with producer-collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner,
23:24and produce a live recording of the album's songs.
23:27Recording remotely, Swift and Bon Iver hauntingly recreated the album's devastating, lovelorn duet.
23:34It's incredibly intimate for being such a clear product of the early COVID-19 pandemic.
23:48The literal distance between them only adds to the song's themes of two lovers who no longer recognize each other.
23:54So what am I defending now? You are my town. Now I'm in exile seeing you now.
24:032021, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande. 8th iHeartRadio Music Awards.
24:09I saw you dancing in a crowded room. You look so happy when I'm not with you.
24:16Although he was nominated for another song, The Weeknd used his opening slot at the iHeartRadio Music Awards
24:23to highlight his chart-smashing duet with Ariana Grande.
24:26Originally a solo track, Grande joined him on a special remix of Save Your Tears in 2021,
24:32and they recreated that magic live on stage.
24:42From Grande's smooth entrance, leaning against a piece of the set, to her amazing whistle tone,
24:47this is the kind of performance that builds steam as it goes along.
24:51By the end, their well-paired voices and genuine joy at performing with each other is contagious.
24:572022, BTS, 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
25:09For their Grammy's appearance, the South Korean boy group turned their smooth, catchy pop hit into a high concept number
25:25that's equal parts NSYNC and James Bond.
25:28BTS is a well-oiled machine.
25:30A seven-man explosion of talent, all their skills are on display here.
25:43Playing on their charms as well as their polished dancing abilities,
25:46Butter is a slickly choreographed showstopper that oozes verb and sophistication.
25:52With at least two extended dance sequences and enough movement to make an Olympic athlete winded,
26:06it's a demanding performance piece.
26:08That's to say nothing of their voices.
26:10They sound, fittingly enough, smooth as butter.
26:132023, Taylor Swift.
26:24Taylor Swift, The Era's Tour.
26:26Are you ready for it?
26:32There's a reason it was the best-selling concert tour of all time.
26:36The Era's Tour, a three-plus-hour retrospective of Taylor Swift's nearly two-decade career,
26:42is not unprecedented in its idea or even its scope.
26:46So you and I, we're about to go on a little adventure together,
26:50and that adventure is gonna span 17 years of music,
26:53and it's gonna be one era at a time.
26:57How does that sound to you?
27:03The hype alone warrants hit a spot here,
27:05but the real reason it's here is simple.
27:08Swift never sounded better than she does on this tour.
27:11At the peak of her powers as a seasoned music veteran,
27:22she smashes every single hit, B-side, and rarity,
27:26like it's the highlight of the concert.
27:28But if we had to pick a highlight,
27:30it would have to be her incredibly powerful rendition
27:33of the 10-minute version of All Too Well.
27:35As captured on the documentary concert film,
27:38it's a standout moment in a jam-packed movie.
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28:042024 Chapel Rhone – Saturday Night Live
28:092024 was a banner year for the Grammy winner for Best New Artist.
28:14This electric and referential performance felt like a victory lap
28:18on one of television's most legendary stages.
28:21Chapel Rhone performed Pink Pony Club, the song many considered to be her anthem for the SNL audience.
28:35The crowd was loving it, screaming the song's unforgettable chorus right back at her.
28:40Hitting her characteristic high notes and jumping around with the exuberance of someone still new on the scene,
28:53she isn't just a star in the making.
28:55She's a star.
28:56Full stop, no qualifiers.
28:58Who deserved a spot on this list?
29:07Tell us in the comments!
29:09Everybody over here, let's get,
29:12right here, let's get.
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