How would you like to see a multitude of superstars such as Justin Bieber, Usher, Paul McCartney, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Katie Perry, Prince, Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift, Kenny Rogers, Mariah Carey, The Eagles, Carrie Underwood, Boyz II Men, Diana Ross, Linkin Park, Miley Cyrus, Neil Diamond, Janet Jackson, Pink, Rod Stewart, Reba McEntire, Rihanna, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi,Vince Gill, Stevie Wonder, the Beach Boys, Garth Brooks, Michael Bolton, Paula Abdul, The Go-Go's, Amy Grant, Tina Turner and LeAnn Rimes all live on stage on a single star-studded night?

Well, you can.

The American Music Awards were created by showman Dick Clark in 1973 as an alternative to the Grammy Awards; they honor achievements in popular music and the recording business. The awards salute the entire spectrum of music, from country-western stars (such as Crystal Gayle and Clint Black) to Soul singers (such as James Brown and Gladys Knight), as well as hard rock (Guns n' Roses, Poison, Bon Jovi), rap (Hammer, Will Smith, Snoop  Dog) and traditional (Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman & Perry Como.)

The first of these pyramid-shaped, crystal trophies went to singer Roberta Flack back in 1973, and since then more than thirty awards have been given out each year, based on a poll of 20,000 record buyers. So it is basically a popularity contest. (With seventeen awards, singer Kenny Rogers has won the most AMA's overall).

The American Music Awards show is broadcast live on network TV each year. It attracts the biggest names in the music business, who appear live on stage as performers, presenters, recipients, and/or hosts. This show isn't really about awards so much as it is about musical performances (acceptance speeches are limited to 45 seconds). Hosts for the annual show have included Elton John, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Glen Campbell, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Natalie Cole.

And believe it or not, you can attend this annual star-studded night of live entertainment as part of the audience. Tickets don't come cheap, but they are available to the general public. Seats on the floor are costly, priced as high $650, but seats in the back are only around $135 each, a relatively small sum to pay to see the best musical performers in the nation. (The money raised goes to a charity, the National Music Foundation).

This year, the AMA show was held on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, at the Microsoft Theatre at L.A. Live (next to the Staples Center and the Convention Center), in downtown Los Angeles.

The show was hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross (of "Black-ish").

Tickets were available here.

Last year, the awards were held on Sunday, November 19, 2017.

The show's host was actress Tracee Ellis Ross, the daughter of the legendary Diana Ross (who  also appeared on the show).

In 2015, the show's host was Jennifer Lopez.  

In 2014, performers included Taylor Swift, One Direction, Ariana Grande, Garth Brooks, Selena Gomez, Lorde, 5 Seconds of Summer, Iggy Azalea, Mary J. Blige, Charli XCX, Fergie,   Imagine Dragons, Jessie J, Wyclef Jean,  MAGIC!, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, and Sam Smith

In 2013, performers included Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, TLC, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, R. Kelly, Miley Cyrus, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, One Direction, Christina Aguilera, Ke$ha, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Ariana Grande, Florida Georgia Line, Nelly, Imagine Dragons and Luke Bryan

Performers on the 2011 show included Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5 Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Kelly Clarkson, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Drake, Daughtry, Enrique Iglesias with Ludacris, will.i.am, Gym Class Heroes, Lil Jon, OneRepublic, Mary J. Blige, The Band Perry, David Guetta and Pitbul.

In 2010, the AMA show had no one host (the same thing they did in 2009), but the performers included Justin Bieber, Christina Aguilera, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, P!nk, Usher, Kid Rock, Carlos Santana, the Backstreet Boys & New Kids On The Block, Rihanna, Diddy-Dirty Money, Ne-Yo and Ke$ha.

In 2008, Jimmy Kimmel was once again the show's host, for the 4th straight time.

Performers included Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Kanye West Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, The Fray, the Jonas Brothers, Pink, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Taylor Swift, Pussycat Dolls, Coldplay, Annie Lennox and New Kids On The Block.

That year, members of the public could vote online for the winner of the 'Breakthrough Artist Award' by going to amavote.com.

The 2007 AMA show was held on Sunday, November 18, 2007. The host was Jimmy Kimmel.

And for the very first time, in 2007, music fans were able to choose which nominated artists won the AMA awards. The big winners were Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood and Daughtry. For a full list of all the 2007 nominees and winners, click here.

Performers on the 2007 show included Maroon 5, Avril Lavigne, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Rascal Flatts, Lenny Kravitz, Fergie, Duran Duran, Sugarland, Chris Brown, Daughtry, the Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, Nicole Scherzinger, and will.i.am.

Presenters in 2007 included Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Christina Applegate, Ashley Tisdale, Usher, Ryan Seacrest, Ashanti, Josh Groban, Vanessa Hudgens, Carrie Underwood, James Blunt and many others.

Last year (2006), the 34th Annual American Music Awards were held Tuesday, November 21 at the Shrine Auditorium, beginning at 5 PM PST. The host was, again, Jimmy Kimmel, and performers at the 2006 show included Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Josh Groban, the Dixie Chicks, Nelly Furtado, the Pussycat Dolls , Rascal Flatts,Tenacious D, Snow Patrol and Carrie Underwood.,

Performers at the 2005 show included The Rolling Stones, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Kenny Chesney, Rob Thomas (of Matchbox Twenty), Sheryl Crow, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Santana, Ashanti, Bow Wow, Cyndi Lauper, The Eurythmics, Sarah McLachlan, Los Lonely Boys, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban. Cedric the Entertainer was the host.

Presenters for 2005 included Ashanti, LeAnn Rimes, Nicole Richie, John Stamos, Ryan Seacrest, Brooks & Dunn, Lance Armstrong, Backstreet Boys, Carmen Electra, Paris Hilton, Shakira, 3 Doors Down, Toni Braxton, Ryan Cabrera, Emmy Rossum, Stuart Townsend, Chingy, Nick Lachey, John Mayer, Jesse McCartney, Sean Paul, Sugarland, Gabrielle Union, and Gretchen Wilson.

Tickets are available from TicketMaster.

If you want bleacher seats outside instead, last year they were free, and were available from audiencesunlimited.com. Follow this link: http://www.audiencesunlimited.com

 Getting there: Location of the awards ceremony may vary from year to year. Phone for this years' location. The new Nokia Theatre is located next to the Staples Center, on the southwest edge of downtown Los Angeles.
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