The 2010 MTV EMAs were a star-spangled celebration of live music, and accordingly, the EMAs were packed with live performances.
Shakira opened the 2010 MTV EMA with an electrifying medley of "Loca," featuring the song's featured guest, Dizzee Rascal, and World Cup anthem "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)." Shakira's powerhouse performance, which saw Shakira in just a bikini top and fringed pants, was of course not without her signature ab flexes and isolations.
Kings Of Leon brought their soulful Southern style to Madrid with their anthemic, energetic single "Radioactive," complete with Caleb Followill's throaty growl and brother Nathan's haunting "oohs" over a driving drumline and rushed guitars.
Katy Perry lit up the Madrid sky with a literal interpretation of her revelatory, celebratory song "Firework," complete with dancers equipped with pyro.
Rihanna's EMA performance of "Only Girl (In the World)" brought elements of Anthony Mandler's color-saturated video to life, but the performance itself felt very David LaChapelle, with Rihanna, the only girl on the stage, surrounded by--and covered in--flowers and then eventually "Mad Men"-looking men in suits.
During the EMA preshow, 30 Seconds To Mars performed their haunting, harrowing "Hurricane," which included a surprise ending: a cameo by Kanye West, who stormed the stage but invited.
Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus performed her latest single, "Who Owns My Heart," surrounded by an orgiastic ensemble of dancers who wouldn't look out of place at an Adam Lambert performance. We saw more dancing from Miley Cyrus, who stomped, punched, twisted and strutted across every inch of the stage.
Shortly after winning Best Live Act, Linkin Park lit up the 2010 MTV EMAs with a letter-perfect performance of its electro-tinged elegy "Waiting For The End."
Ke$ha's EMA performance might have been her most colorful yet, which is saying a lot. Painted in DayGlo fluorescents that doubled as tribal stripes, Ke$ha and her party-or-die dancers looked like they were going to war for the right to rage.
Watch 2010 EMA performances by 30 Seconds To Mars featuring Kanye West, plus performances by Shakira, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Kings Of Leon and Ke$ha. Watch all of the 2010 MTV EMA performances here.
+ Watch more 2010 MTV EMA performance videos after the jump!