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2017 VMAS: Top 5 Performances

From Kendrick Lamar to Katy Perry to Pink, the biggest names in music took the stage at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 27, and delivered an array of classic songs, killer dance movies and eye-popping visual effects. Here, Us Weekly has rounded up the night’s five biggest performances.

Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Related: VMAs 2017 Red Carpet Fashion: What the Stars Wore

Kendrick Lamar

Lamar kicked off the night with a medley of his tracks “DNA” and Humble.” As the rapper, who lead the night’s nominations with eight nods and later won Video of the Year, moved around the stage performing his Damn hits, the metal backdrop behind him was engulfed in flames at key moments throughout the performance. At one point, a performer holding a sword was lit on fire and quickly extinguished. 

Pink
Pink performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Pink

The 2017 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award recipient performed a powerhouse career-spanning medley of her hits before accepting the honor. Starting with some fan-favorites including “Get This Party Started, ”Just Give Me a Reason” and “Perfect,” she then moved into her new single “What About Us,” as her husband Carey Hart and their daughter Willow adorably watched on.

Katy Perry
Katy Perry performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Katy Perry ft. Nicki Minaj

The show’s host capped the night with a performance of her recent hit “Swish Swish.” Perry stood atop an enormous basketball for the beginning of her performance, until it rotated to reveal Minaj hidden inside. Perry continued with eye-catching visuals, as she ended the song by flying above the crowd to land on top of a basketball hoop in a slam dunk.

DNCE and Rod Stewart

Stewart revamped his 1978 hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” with DNCE’s Joe Jonas, JinJoo Lee, Cole Whittle and Jack Lawless. Following a hilarious moment in which Stewart selected his microphone from a silver platter, the band — wearing eclectic outfits — delivered a wildly entertaining take on the song, with Jonas and Stewart alternating vocals.

Logic, Alessia Cara and Khalid

Prior to Logic taking the stage with Cara and Khalid to perform “1-800-273-8255,” a song that takes its name from the suicide prevention hotline, Kesha took the stage to make a powerful statement about the issue. As they kicked off the performance, the superstars invited suicide attempt survivors to join them on stage as well as people who have lost loved ones to suicide.

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