2015 Billboard Music Awards

So the 2015 Billboard Music Awards took place this past Sunday and I would like to say it was an amazing show that had me entertained for all of its long, very long (did I mention long) 3-hour telecast, but that would be a lie. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some nice moments, but I can’t say I was really entertained the whole night. I guess if I can say one good thing, it was slightly less boring than the Grammy Awards earlier this year. So after slogging through for three hours, the following are some of my general observations, in no particular order.

Is That All There Is – So after weeks or maybe it just felt like weeks, of Taylor Swift posting shots on her Instagram of everyone and their mother in her video for the song Bad Blood, the “much anticipated” video finally debuted as the opening for the show. And all I was left thinking was “that’s it? That’s what all the hype was about?” I mean I guess it’s great if one wanted to play a game of “spot the random female celebrity” for three minutes but if that didn’t particularly interest you, then there was not much left. Not even Kendrick could save this bore, not to mention he’s way too good for it, but hey, I’m sure it was a decent paycheck.

Fitting Tribute – Okay, maybe the name Imagine Dragons is not the first to come to mind for a tribute to the late, great Ben E. King, who passed away last month but kudos to the group who did a more than admirable job, performing King’s career defining song, Stand By Me. It was quiet, not overdone and by that token resonated far more deeply. Good job guys.

Giving Me What I Didn’t Know I Wanted – If you had asked me a week ago what two artists I most wanted to see perform together, the names Meghan Trainor and John Legend would not have been the first ones on my list. But damn if they didn’t deliver a stellar number at Sunday’s show, complimenting each other’s voices beautifully.

What Happened – So remember how once upon a time Mariah Carey was a stellar vocalist? I’m talking one of the greatest voices of not just her generation but would go down as one of the greatest voices of all time? Yeah that doesn’t seem to be happening anymore. I have no clue who that person was on Sunday who sounded so nasally and awkward. To her credit, there were a few moments that revealed shades of old school Mariah but they were far too few and far between. And no words on that last note. Also, that Infinity song – just awful.

That’s How You Make Your Debut – If you’ve been paying attention to the music charts this past year, then you have probably seen the name Tori Kelly. She’s slowly been climbing the charts with her hit Nobody Love. The Billboard Awards was her first major award show performance and rather than make the mistake that many up and coming artists have done, throwing everything and the kitchen sink at a performance to be remembered, she stripped it down to just her and her guitar and let her vocals do the talking. And it was a pitch perfect tale. Good job.

Almost Looked Familiar – So Britney Spears performed her latest song Pretty Girls with Iggy Azalea and let’s just get the obvious out of the way – the song is awful, she was clearly lip syncing and Iggy Azalea was horrible as usual. But all that being said, I didn’t completely hate this performance because I saw something I haven’t in a long time and never thought I would again – Britney looked like she was having fun, was engaged in the performance and almost, not exactly, but almost like her old self from many years ago. As a person who grew up with Britney in her hey days and by that token saw the epic career and emotional meltdown, it was nice to see a small glimpse of that old Britney again.

Was Anyone Else Competing – Anyone else feel like this was just three hours of honoring Taylor Swift with a couple of performances thrown in? Yes, yes I know Sam Smith and One Direction won at least once, but I swear she was like the only one who went up on that stage. I can’t complain though, since she deserved them all.

Remember When Kanye West Was Normal – Okay, maybe suggesting he was ever normal is a stretch as his ego has always been a source of great entertainment and amusement. That said, his antics were easier to ignore because he delivered amazing music and even more amazing performances. Yeah now, not so much. The music is still interesting, I will say that, but seriously, what was that performance? First of all, the conspiracy theorist in me almost thinks he wasn’t there at all and just sent some guy to stand in his place, hidden behind all the smoke, with the audience and viewers none the wiser. The songs were constantly being bleeped so often, it was hard to appreciate the lyrics or impact and honestly it felt like just watching five minutes of smoke. What happened to the Kanye West of this performance:

or this performance