Barclays Center to host MTV video music awards
After months of hosting blockbuster concerts by artists like Jay-Z, the Who, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Neil Young and others, Barclays Center will now host this year’s MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Aug. 25.
The MTV Video Awards, or “VMAs,” were conceived as a young-people’s alternative to the Grammys back in 1984, when music videos were new and were the latest craze among music-lovers. Venues where the awards have been presented include Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and other high-profile locations.
A list of those who have performed at the awards reads like a history of popular music over the last 30 years. They include Cyndi Lauper (a native of Williamsburg, Brooklyn), Michael Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Jon Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Marilyn Manson, the Backstreet Boys, Nirvana, Guns n Roses, Li’l Kim, Alanis Morissette, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, Beyonce, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga.