Kanye West, Paramore rock the MTV Awards
Pic: PA Photos
Rihanna, Pink and Ting Tings also perform
Kanye West closed the MTV Video Music Awards tonight (September 7), debuting a new song at the Los Angeles ceremony.
The singer, who vowed never to return to the VMAs after failing to pick up an award at last year's event, took the stage wearing a grey suit with a glowing red heart beating in his chest pocket.
Backed by more than a dozen drummers, West performed his new tune 'Love Lockdown', which concluded with a brief fireworks display.
Earlier in the evening, Paramore gave a satellite performance from the famed Sunset Strip club Whiskey A Go Go. Dressed in yellow trousers, frontwoman Hayley Williams got the audience to head bang and sing along.
Pink brought a pyrotechnic-filled show to the Paramount back lot, sliding down a makeshift fire escape and stripping down from a blue overcoat into a black leather leotard while singing 'So What'.
Rihanna kicked off the night with a troop of dancers, who borrowed moves and outfits from Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video, to perform 'Disturbia'. She also duetted with T.I. later in the evening.
The Jonas Brothers got the tweens screaming with another back lot performance, while Katie Perry covered Madonna's 'Like A Virgin' and launched into her own hit 'I Kissed A Girl' with Travis Barker on drums.
The Ting Tings gave a very brief performance of 'Shut And Let Me Go', and towards the end of the evening, Kid Rock offered up a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama'.
The full picture gallery of MTV Video Music Awards photos from the night can be seen here on NME.COM.
--By our Los Angeles staff.
Find out more about NME.
The singer, who vowed never to return to the VMAs after failing to pick up an award at last year's event, took the stage wearing a grey suit with a glowing red heart beating in his chest pocket.
Backed by more than a dozen drummers, West performed his new tune 'Love Lockdown', which concluded with a brief fireworks display.
Earlier in the evening, Paramore gave a satellite performance from the famed Sunset Strip club Whiskey A Go Go. Dressed in yellow trousers, frontwoman Hayley Williams got the audience to head bang and sing along.
Pink brought a pyrotechnic-filled show to the Paramount back lot, sliding down a makeshift fire escape and stripping down from a blue overcoat into a black leather leotard while singing 'So What'.
Rihanna kicked off the night with a troop of dancers, who borrowed moves and outfits from Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video, to perform 'Disturbia'. She also duetted with T.I. later in the evening.
The Jonas Brothers got the tweens screaming with another back lot performance, while Katie Perry covered Madonna's 'Like A Virgin' and launched into her own hit 'I Kissed A Girl' with Travis Barker on drums.
The Ting Tings gave a very brief performance of 'Shut And Let Me Go', and towards the end of the evening, Kid Rock offered up a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama'.
The full picture gallery of MTV Video Music Awards photos from the night can be seen here on NME.COM.
--By our Los Angeles staff.
Find out more about NME.
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