MTV Makes Most Of Challenging Times, Puts On Socially Distant Video Music Awards All Over New York City
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The coronavirus pandemic didn't stop one of music's biggest nights from happening.
MTV's Video Music Awards took place in a unique way, all across New York City on Sunday night, CBS2's Cory James reported.
It was a show like never before.
But before getting to the music, host Keke Palmer paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman, days after the 43-year-old Black Panther star passed away from cancer.
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MTV, dealing with challenges during the pandemic, put on the annual show with both pre-taped performances and live ones right here in New York City.
"We are all over New York City tonight, from Brooklyn and the Bronx, to the center of it all, the world famous Empire State Building," Palmer said.
One of the performances reportedly took place in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where there is a drive-in move theatre.
Roy and Emily Gebler watched the setup for the stage over the last week, hearing that it was for the big show.
"People were wondering what the stage was for a while because it was being built and then it was slowly becoming rumors it was for the VMAs," Emily Gebler said.
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Among the stars in the Big Apple was The Weeknd, who performed at Hudson Yards.
And later, there was a highly anticipated performance by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, who led the nominations with nine each. They performed their hit "Rain on Me" for the first time on television.
Everyone on stage wore masks.
Both artists took home awards, including "Song of the Year." There was also a new category, "Best Music Video From Home." That went to Grande and Justin Bieber for "Stuck With U."
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