2015 Billboard Music Awards: Review Revue

Carl Williott | May 18, 2015 8:28 am
Billboard Music Awards: Watch The Performances
From Mariah Carey to the 'Empire' cast, catch all the BBMAs performances here.

The 2015 Billboard Music Awards last night were, as expected, a generally lifeless celebration of lip-syncing, chart achievements we were already well aware of and how many famous friends Taylor Swift has. There were a few bright spots among the bloat, but mainly the show proved itself to be unmemorable, nothing more than a calculated ratings ploy poorly disguised as a pop “event.”

But don’t just take my word for it! Here’s what critics around the web are saying about last night’s BBMAs.

:: The recapper at The Los Angeles Times zeroed in on the phoned-in performances and bad mixing, likening the whole thing to an “ABC infomercial” and popularity contest.

:: Glamour gave it the lukewarm label of “an interesting night,” and props to them for actually calling out Mariah Carey‘s sour high note, unlike several sycophantic pop outlets…

:: The AP was also rough on Mimi, saying she “struggled” through a “pitchy” performance, while also singling out Charlie Puth for sounding quite shaky.

:: We at Idolator liked the “Pretty Girls” performance, but The Mirror went a little overboard calling it “dramatic.”

:: E! praised the Empire performance and Taylor’s “Bad Blood” premiere, calling Swift the star of the show and proclaiming “Oh, what a night!”

:: CNN felt “memorable performances were in full effect” and decalred Imagine Dragons‘ “Stand By Me” tribute “moving,” which is funnier than any Chrissy Teigen joke from last night. But then we realized that recap was a cross-post of Billboard‘s own writeup, and everything made sense.