2016 Billboard Music Awards Performance Reviews

Hey guys! As a music critique myself, it's pretty much my job to watch music shows and give me reviews on them. This past Sunday night, the Billboard Music Awards aired on ABC. It was really fun to watch. We had tons of performances that I will be reviewing in this post! This year, Ludacris hosted for the third year in a row along with Ciara, who is in place of Chrissy Teigen from last year (thankfully). I thought they were good hosts. Now let's get into the performances.

• Britney Spears – (Medley Of Her Greatest Hits)

Comments: Britney Spears opened up the show with an energetic medley of some of her greatest hits including Work B**ch, Womanizer, I Love Rock N Roll, I'm A Slave 4 U, Toxic, and more! I thought it was a really awesome way to kick off the show!

Performance Rating: 9 out of 10

• Shawn Mendes – Stitches

Comments: My bae, Shawn Mendes, performed his big hit, Stitches. I loved the set that was used for this performance. Even though the song was done acoustically, it was very well done and sounded really nice. He did a really nice job on the vocals. Overall, I felt a lot of emotion during this performance and I really liked it.

Performance Rating: 9.5 out of 10

• Fifth Harmony/Ty Dolla $ign – Work From Home

Comments: I'm getting really bored whenever I listen to this song. The only thing that made this performance somewhat interesting was their dance moves. Aside from that, this performance really wasn't anything special.

Performance Rating: 7 out of 10

• Meghan Trainor – No

Comments: Similar to Work From Home, I get bored when listening to this song. The only difference between the performances was that this one didn't have any dance moves to help save it. Her vocals were okay, but nothing that could make this performance anything more than a boring, mediocre performance. I'm curious as to how much those backup dancers were paid to dance with her.

Performance Rating: 5.5 out of 10

• Justin Bieber – Company / Sorry

Comments: Justin Bieber kicked off his performance with a fun and interesting performance of his newest single, Company. Then came a fun and energetic performance of Sorry. As I do with most Justin Bieber performances, I really enjoyed it. However, I do miss his longer hair. I personally think he looked cuter when his hair was longer. But it's up to him how he styles his hair.

Performance Rating: 9.5 out of 10

• P!nk – Just Like Fire

Comments: P!nk performed her awesome comeback single, Just Like Fire! As she used to, she did some acrobatic stunts hanging from the ceiling. Overall, the performance was really fun to watch and she did an amazing job on the vocals. I'm also in love with the song. So that made it even better. Definitely one of the best performances of the night.

Performance Rating: 10 out of 10

• Nick Jonas/Tove Lo – Close

Comments: Nick Jonas performed his newest single, Close, with Tove Lo. I thought it was good. Nick Jonas' vocals weren't the best. They were okay. Tove Lo did pretty good, but her performances still don't catch my attention as much as I want them to. This performance certainly wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything outstanding.

Performance Rating: 7.5 out of 10

• Demi Lovato – Cool For The Summer

Comments: As soon the performance of Close was over, it ran right into Demi Lovato performing the 2015 summer anthem, Cool For The Summer. I still like this song, so it was fun to watch. Her vocal capabilities are honestly outstanding. Overall, she did a really nice job.

Performance Rating: 9 out of 10

• Lukas Graham – 7 Years

Comments: This performance did not sound very far off from the original song, and I consider that a good thing. It's still a really sweet song. The performance wasn't anything crazy, which I think is good because the simpleness of how it went actually fits the song nicely. Overall, it was a nice performance and they did a nice job.

Performance Rating: 8.5 out of 10

• Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani – Go Ahead and Break My Heart

Comments: This performance really wasn't anything special. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't necessarily good either. It was kind of just a filler performance. I have nothing against these two artists. This performance just wasn't anything that caught my attention.

Performance Rating: 6 out of 10

• DNCE – Cake By The Ocean

Comments: Well I think it's obvious which Jonas brother is the better singer. As tired as I am of this song, it was actually a pretty fun performance to watch. But I'm sure Joe's security was pissed at him for walking right through crowds and crowds of people. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this performance and now I do not dislike the song as much as I used to.

Performance Rating: 9 out of 10

• Kesha/Ben Folds – It Ain't Me, Babe

Comments: I was very excited when I heard that Kesha was allowed to perform at the Billboard Music Awards. For this performance, she paid tribute to Bob Dylan by performing a cover of his song, It Ain't Me, Babe. It was definitely a slower song, and I felt her appearance was distracting me from the actual performance. But it was a nice performance and Kesha still has an amazing talent just like she did back when she was Ke$ha.

Performance Rating: 8 out of 10

• Rihanna – Love On The Brain

Comments: I did think this was an interesting performance considering that what she was wearing didn't really match up with the set she had. All that was going through my mind during this performance was, "I miss the old Rihanna." I may get some hate for this since some people actually liked this, but I thought this performance was a snooze fest. It went on for a seemingly long time and I was just waiting and waiting for it to end. But please keep in mind that this is all just my personal opinion.

Performance Rating: 3.5 (maybe a 4 if I'm nice) out of 10

• Celine Dion/Lindsey Stirling – The Show Must Go On

Comments: We all know Celine Dion has been through a lot losing her brother and her husband within a very short amount of time in between. I thought her performance was very emotional. I could feel all the emotion. She did an amazing job vocally and I loved her stage presence. Overall, it was an amazing performance and I know it was an emotional time for her, especially when her son handed her the Icon Award. Definitely one of the best performances (if not the best performance) of the night.

Performance Rating: Definite 10 out of 10

• Troye Sivan – Youth

Comments: Sponsored by Kia, we had our One To Watch performer this year be Troye Sivan, whereas last year we had Tori Kelly. I'm having a hard time believing that he's 20 years old when he looks like he's 16. I thought he did a nice job vocally and he had some nice stage presence. The performance wasn't anything spectacular, but I did think it was really good. Slowly he's becoming more and more of a pop sensation.

Performance Rating: 8.5 out of 10

• The Go-Go's – We Got The Beat

Comments: For an old band, I thought they did a very nice job. They still know how to have a fun performance. Not much else to say about it.

Performance Rating: 7.5 out of 10

• Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman / Into You

Comments: I thought the beginning with her singing Dangerous Woman was pretty interesting. But it wasn't until she began performing Into You that I was immediately hooked. My constant positive comment about Ariana Grande's live performances is that her vocals are always on point. And no, she was not lip-syncing. Honestly, I feel like other artists can learn from her when it comes to that. As far as the rest of the performance goes, it was fun to watch. Overall, I really liked it.

Performance Rating: 9 out of 10

• Madonna/Stevie Wonder – (Tribute To Prince)

Comments: This performance received a ton of mixed reviews on all social media platforms. So I think I'll chip in with what I thought of it. People were complaining because she didn't perform enough songs for a tribute to Prince, which I completely understand. But me personally, I liked it. People were saying that Madonna was not the right choice for this tribute. If so, then who the hell was? We don't have that many singers from Prince's days that are willing to perform like Madonna. I thought she was a good choice and I thought she did a nice job with the two songs she performed. I liked Stevie Wonder joining in as well. Someone on Facebook said that Prince would be disappointed with this tribute. Honestly, who the hell are you to speak on his behalf??? I swear, some people need to seriously think twice about what they're saying.

Performance Rating: 8.5 (maybe a 9) out of 10

• Adele – Send My Love (To Your New Lover)

Comments: Like last year's Bad Blood by Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, we had another music video premiere this year. This time, it's from Adele for her new single, Send My Love (To Your New Lover). I definitely like this song better than When We Were Young as it is more upbeat. The music video is very simple and I like that. Overall, I do like the song and the video.

Music Video Rating: 8.5 out of 10

So overall, it was an interesting night. Only two performances were amazing enough to receive a 10 out of 10. But there weren't as many bad performances as there typically are. And that is all I have for you guys today. I hope you enjoyed! :)

Top 5 Performances

1. TIE: Celine Dion/Lindsey Stirling – The Show Must Go On

1. TIE: P!nk – Just Like Fire

3. Shawn Mendes – Stitches

4. Justin Bieber – Company / Sorry

5. Britney Spears – Medley Of Her Greatest Hits

Bottom 5 Performances

1. Rihanna – Love On The Brain

2. Meghan Trainor – No

3. Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani – Go Ahead and Break My Heart

4. Fifth Harmony/Ty Dolla $ign – Work From Home

5. Idk.......probably Nick Jonas/Tove Lo – Close