"Just this one time! Too long to do it again!"

And with that tongue-in-cheek introduction by the world's greatest rock frontman, the first — and probably only — full album performance of Bruce Springsteen's 1980 double-album The River began at New York City's Madison Square Garden. In an arena most often populated by athletes half his age, this minister of rock and roll — armed with a black vest and his signature yellow Fender — preached to 30,000 devoted congregants whose enthusiasm for the show was matched only by his own.

Prefaced only by the ultra-new "Wrecking Ball" at the top of the show, the Boss and his band launched into the 20 song opus of love and dreams and youth in Jersey. Although full album performances aren't new to the E Street Band, The River had never been among them. The album's odd mix of down-tempo, heartbreaking ballads like the title track and "Point Blank" stand in stark contrast to rolling, boisterous tunes like "Cadillac Ranch" and "The Ties That Bind."

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I got an e-mail last week from my friend Lane. "Let's go to the R. Kelly show at Madison Square Garden," it read. Of course, I was on board. I've been a fan of Kelly's for years and have written extensively about him (frustratingly, my essay on the greatness of Double Up is somehow not available online), but have never gotten the chance to see the man in person. What I got was incredible. The concert was full of Kelly-isms, surreal moments and (naturally) hit songs. But the greatest thing I saw all night was this:

If it's unclear (as most iPhone photos are), that's a station set up featuring two giant airbrushed murals of R. Kelly that you could stand in front of to get your picture taken. The price? $20. And the line to get these pictures was huge. When Lane attempted to get a closer look, he was chased away by the proprietor of this particular vending station. It was pretty remarkable, especially considering that the airbrushing wasn't even that good. I could understand paying a few dollars to stand next to a wax statue or a realistic stand-up of Kels, but a cheap airbrushed mural? I was taken aback.

Still, in typical R. Kelly fashion, he saved the real insanity for the stage. Read more...

Last night, Pink brought her fantastically theatrical Funhouse tour to Madison Square Garden for a bright, booming and (as promised on her Twitter) loud show. Pink, who seemed fully recovered from the shoulder injury that she complained about on the early dates on the tour, sang her way through a plethora of hits, performed stunts along the lines of her MTV Video Music Awards performance and, of course, flew through her set of costume changes — including MTV News' personal favorite, which involves a pink heart, a yellow marching band jacket, a purple leotard and a captain's hat.

Pink's set included her cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and also an especially intense rendition of "Don't Let Me Get Me." She now has some down time (where she can enjoy the fall weather in New York) before the tour resumes at the end of next week in Dublin, Ireland. From there, she'll play shows all over the U.K. before heading out to the rest of Europe (including stops in Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark). The tour is in support of her still-going-strong album Funhouse, which was released nearly a year ago and is still kicking around the upper echelon of the Billboard album chart (she's moved 1.3 million copies of the record). At the end of October, Funhouse will get a re-release, which will feature two bonus tracks ("This Is How It Goes Down" and "Push You Away") plus a DVD featuring videos and commentary from Pink.

Click here for more photos from Pink's Funhouse tour stop at Madison Square Garden in New York City!

There is a tremendous amount of anticipation surrounding this Sunday's Video Music Awards — especially the Jay-Z collaboration with Alicia Keys on the Blueprint 3 track "Empire State of Mind." But there's another hotly-anticipated Jigga performance that happens tonight at Madison Square Garden. Jay sold out the venue in a matter of minutes, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund. Hova has a handful of reasons why he got tonight's show together: He grew up in Brooklyn, his album The Blueprint came out on September 11, 2001, and when the event originally happened Jay was in Los Angeles, so he was unable to physically be in his home city to help out.

Tonight's show promises to be emotional, and if it's anything like the free show he gave earlier this week at New York's Blender Theater, it will also be an energetic display of Jigga's hip-hop prowess. With a multitude of stars in town both for this weekend's Video Music Awards and for New York's Fashion Week, it's quite possible that Jay could bring out a bevy of guests (expect Memphis Bleek, who was at the Blender show, to make an appearance).

Jigga's new album The Blueprint 3 was supposed to hit stores today, though an early leak forced the release date to be pushed up a few days early (though it was only made available on iTunes this morning and shot immediately became the top downloaded album there). The album is expected to debut at the top of the Billboard chart as well.

I popped my Britney Spears concert cherry last night at Madison Square Garden, and it was a one-night stand I won't regret.

"But Jim," you ask, "how the hell did a pop culture fanatic like you go 27 years without seeing Britney perform live?" I dunno. I guess I never had the urge to pony up the $8 million needed to catch a Britney show. (I kid. Ticket prices are less than that. Slightly.) Plus, I was never a diehard fan of Britney's music. Don't get me wrong: I always dug her as a pop culture force, and the hoopla around her and her career has been fascinating to me since day one. I just can't say I have ever purchased a Britney song on iTunes.

Not to mention that Britney has a reputation for not always singing live at her concerts. Why would I want to pay money to see someone lip-synch for two hours? I'll save my money for the next time Grizzly Bear is in town. Now that's a concert.

But given all the "She's back!" buzz surrounding the Circus tour, I jumped at the chance to check out her first of three nights at Madison Square Garden. "If I'm gonna see Britney, now's the time to do it," I told myself during another one-sided conversation. She's a total underdog that you can't stop rooting for, and I was curious to see if she's really "back."

Let me echo the sentiments of her fans, folks. Yep, she's baaaaaaack! And I had the time of my life at her concert.

Here are five more things that totally surprised me about the "Circus" tour.

» Jordin Sparks = Force To Be Reckoned With
Jordin Sparks debuted on the Circus tour last night, and she came out like she owned the place. The girl has more bona fide smash hits than some artists twice her age, and she flaunted each and every one of them during her tight opening set. MSG lit up with camera flashes the instant Ms. Sparks appeared on stage (wearing a sick-looking feather skirt) to sing "One Step at a Time." The crowd was less enthusiastic about the pair of newer album deep cuts she tossed into the set (girl's gotta sell her new record!), but once she finished with a one-two-three punch of "Battlefield," "Tattoo" and "No Air," the room was bouncing and singing in unison. It didn't hurt that Sparks sounded spectacular live, even with her ear monitor flying off two songs in. She is a fantastic addition to the Circus tour.

» Just Because You Have No Legs Doesn't Mean You Can't Jump On A Trampoline Read more...

By Ayana Allen

John Legend has performed in huge stadiums to massive crowds at the Super Bowl, WrestleMania, political conventions and at Live Earth. He's a guy who by now should be comfortable with fame and attention. But last night during his performance at New York's Madison Square Garden — the first time he has ever headlined the iconic arena — he seemed just slightly overwhelmed by the energy of it all.

"I used to sing this song in clubs," he said before launching into "Stay With You," the final song in his set. "And I couldn't wait for the day I got to sing it in Madison Square Garden."

(Click here for more photos from from John Legend's performance at Madison Square Garden!)

Legend certainly treated the show like a huge event, welcoming friends Kanye West, Rick Ross, Estelle, reggae legend Buju Banton and opening act India.Arie to the stage for some all-star collaborations.

"This is a star-studded event!" Legend announced following his opening number, a spot-on take on Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," which he crooned from the audience. He made his way up to the stage and rolled out hit after hit, climaxing in the appearance of Estelle and West for an extended version of the trio's hit "American Boy."

For one lucky fan, the highlight came when Legend invited her up on stage for a slow dance during (obviously) "Slow Dance." Though she looked like she was about to faint, she maintained her composure and walked away with a kiss on the cheek, a long-stemmed red rose and an unforgettable memory for her trouble.

But fans didn't need to dance with the man to appreciate the evening. By the time he ended the show with "Green Light," he had managed to seduce everybody at MSG.

By Daniela Capistrano

Despite canceling nine shows on her Rock Witchu Tour due to vestibular migraines, Janet was present and full of energy for her Saturday performance at Madison Square Garden. She left the packed house standing and cheering for more when she closed with her top-five hit "Runaway," but received mixed reactions throughout the night to tracks from her latest album, Discipline.

(Check out more pics from the concert here.)

Although the LP is Janet's least successful album to date (as of September, record sales stood at 415,000 copies in the U.S.), the turnout at Madison Square Garden probably convinced Midtown onlookers otherwise. Hundreds of Janet fans of all ages and backgrounds spilled onto the streets, clutching merchandise and congregating outside the venue as if unwilling to leave, still glowing and chattering excitedly about the show they had just experienced. "Did you see her dancing the entire time?" shouted a middle-age mother to her group of friends, teenage daughters in tow. "It was flawless!" Other fans expressed similar sentiments. "Oh my God, that was hot," a male teen crowed to his similarly well-coiffed associates. “Janet is timeless, right?" Responses to the new album, however, were decidedly mixed. Words used by the crowd to describe her latest release ranged from "pretty good, but not great" to "disappointing." Read more...

By Kelly Erickson

I could not think of a better way to end my three months of interning with MTV News and living in NYC than being in the fifth row at the second night of the Glow in the Dark Tour at Madison Square Garden. It made me realize that half of making things happen in life is simply showing up.

See, I was strolling by Madison Square Garden last night at around 9:45 p.m., and I ran into a familiar face. There was a nice young gentleman sitting at the "media" entrance who remembered me from earlier in the day, when I'd run an MTV errand to MSG. (Note to all interns: Making runs pays off!!!) Long story short, within moments of him spotting me, I was walking through the backstage area with an all-access pass, feeling at a loss for words.

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R.E.M. treated their New York fans to an arena-size rock 'n' roll show last night at Madison Square Garden, and those fans have been sharing their experience on MTV's You R Here. Users PlayboyTonyNYC, Radhika and EmptyVitamin uploaded a slew of camera-phone pictures, and Radhika posted a rather detailed review of the career-spanning set, writing:

New York's Madison Square Garden was the place to be Thursday night, thanks to a brilliant performance by the legendary R.E.M. Featuring a lively light show, funky camera work relayed on projection screens, and a hefty dose of biting political commentary courtesy of singer Michael Stipe, the concert proved that the band still knows exactly how to hold a crowd's attention.

Stipe was in top form throughout the night, dressed in a sharp suit while lithely dancing around the stage, smiling and occasionally making self-deprecating remarks. "This song is like from the year 1740," he joked while introducing "Ignoreland" from 1992's Automatic for the People, and at another point he even asked one of the audience members if he needed earplugs since he looked so "miserable."

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