Every year the MTV Video Music Awards feature some of the biggest and most memorable performances from all of your favorite artists.
Less formal than the Grammy Awards, the VMAs give artists the opportunity to let their hair down and really go out on a limb to put on some of the most daring and exciting performances of their careers. Simply put, you’re not going to see a blood-soaked Lady Gaga dangling above the stage or a wedding dress-clad Madonna climbing down a cake and rolling on the floor anywhere else.
But Madonna’s star-making turn at the inaugural VMAs and Gaga’s electrifying take on “Paparazzi” are just two of the most iconic moments in VMA performance history. Who can forget when Sting joined Diddy, Faith Evans and 112 to pay tribute to Notorious B.I.G. with “I’ll Be Missing You” in 1997, or when Eminem surrounded himself with lookalikes to perform “The Real Slim Shady” in 2000? And, of course, many are still jealous of a certain python that got to spend a few glorious seconds draped around Britney Spears’ shoulders in 2001.
Narrowing down all of the classic VMA performances to a short list of the most iconic was a major task, but we think we’ve singled out the ten most unforgettable performances in VMA history. Now it’s your turn to tell us which performance is the Most Iconic VMA Performance Ever. Vote after the jump.
Polls close Wednesday, August 24 at noon, so vote now and vote often! Results will be announced in the lead-up to the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, which air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, August 28 at 9 PM on MTV. Don't forget to tune in!
>>> Return to polling headquarters to vote for your favorites in all of the other categories.