2014 MTV VMAs: Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Jessie J open show

Every year, the MTV Video Music Awards like to open in grand fashion, and this time around, that included getting to see a performance from a variety of the biggest women in music right now.

“Bang Bang” has been a big hit on the radio, so can you be surprised that Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, and Ariana Grande all worked together to open the show? The three had some many individual moments in the spotlight, but also some great ones together. While we will say time and time again that the VMAs are largely about spectacle, these three also showed some significant chops in here, as well.

If we had to review the performance overall, we’d say that it is pretty solid compared to past years. We typically feel like most opening performances at the VMAs are by and large fluff, and don’t always have that much when it comes to musical chops. Still, we have a hard time believing that anything we see on the show this year is going to top that epic performance that Justin Timberlake did last year, which included that brief *NSYNC reunion in the middle of it.

This year, the show is set in California rather than Brooklyn, so as the performances go by, be prepared for some tributes to the area, and also a lot of shout-outs to the crowd. this was evident more in Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani speaking after this performance than it itself. We’ll see what happens from here.

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Photo: MTV