AMA's 50th Anniversary special was held on October 6, 2024, and was aired on CBS. The two-hour special featured content curated segments and performances. Smokey Robinson, one of the hosts of the AMA's first show, was present at the event.
Also present at the show were Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Reba McEntire, Jimmy Kimmel, and Cedric the Entertainer. The show featured artists like Jennifer Hudson, who gave a tribute to Whitney Houston, and montages of various country artists who have appeared on the award show over the years.
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The article below will provide the highlights of said special, from Gladys Knight singing Midnight Train to Georgia to moments showing hip-hop stars such as Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion.
AMA's 50th anniversary highlights
Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to Whitney Houston
Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to Whitney Houston in the special, recreating the 22-time winner's medley at the 1994 award show. Hudson sang the pairing of I Loves You, Porgy from the film Porgy & Bess and I Will Always Love You from the film The Bodyguard. A special selection of Houston's moments from the shows over the years preceded Hudson's tribute.
Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder
In the opening moments of the special, scenes of the first AMA show are showcased. This includes Gladys Knight & the Pips singing Midnight Train to Georgia and Stevie Wonder singing Superstition. The scenes also include Knight performing the song solo, without Pips.
Hip-Hop stars montage
A segment of the two-hour special was devoted to moments of Hip-Hop stars at the award show, featuring everyone from Nicki Minaj to Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre as well as Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, and Cardi B throughout the years. The segment ended with Nelly singing a medley of his greatest hits.
Country Stars montage
Another segment features a montage of country music stars that appeared at the award show over the years. This included footage from artists such as Kane Brown covering Alan Jackson’s song Drive (For Daddy Gene). Later, Brad Paisley paid his tribute to the late Charley Pride, singing Pride's Kiss an Angel Good Morning and his own single Truck Still Works.
Medley performances
Nile Rodgers and Chic performed a medley of Get Lucky and Le Freak, while Mariah Carey performed a medley as well.
Green Day performs
Green Day performed a song from their album Saviours, titled Dilemma. The single was released on December 7, 2023, and charted at number 1 on the US Rock Airplay.
RAYE performs James Brown's It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World
A segment of the AMA show featured RAYE performing a version of James Brown's single It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World. Her performance was preceded by a recap section that showcased past winners of the American Music Award of Merit, including singers such as Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Sting, Billy Joel, and Whitney Houston as well as Brown and Bon Jovi.
Boy Bands montage
Another segment of the AMA special was dedicated to boy bands, introduced by Backstreet Boy members AJ McLean and NSYNC member Lance Bass. The segment featured moments by artists such as New Edition, New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, and One Direction. The segment ended with a Stray Kids performance.
Chaka Khan's performance concluded the show
The last segment of the show was dedicated to the women who appeared on the AMAs award show over the years. The segment mentioned artists such as Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson, Madonna, P!nk, Gwen Stefani, Taylor Swift, Celine Dion, Britney Spears and Beyoncé. The segment ended with Chaka Khan and Sheila E's performance of I’m Every Woman.
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