Jive label mates Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears dominated the 1999 Billboard Music Awards, held yesterday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Although each received four honors, it was Backstreet Boys who snagging the coveted artist and album of the year awards, for "Millennium."
The group later also proved they were good sports, laughing as an act called Meaty Cheesy Boys parodied the choreography and lyric matter of boy bands.
As for Spears, she held her own, netting female artist and new artist of the year plaudits, among others. Later in the ceremony, she borrowed a few dance moves from Janet Jackson, deconstructing a melody of her own hits to just vocals and a spare R&B beat.
Other multiple award winners at the show included Dixie Chicks, who bagged three awards, including country artist and Country Albums artist honors; and Ricky Martin, who shook his bon-bon onstage and off as he received the male artist and male Hot 100 Singles artist of the year titles.
Metallica and Creed also earned two awards each, although they were not presented during the broadcast.
As previously announced, Emmylou Harris received the 1999 Billboard Century Award, the magazine's highest honor for artistic creativity, while Aerosmith was presented with the artist achievement award.
Mariah Carey also was recognized as the artist of the decade; as she walked through the audience to receive the honor, confetti dropped from the ceiling and blew all around the auditorium.
In addition, Red Hot Chili Peppers were presented with an award for setting an all-time Billboard record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. On the show, special guest Snoop Dogg joined the group in a performance of the song "Scar Tissue," which spent 16 weeks atop the chart.
One other memorable moment during the ceremony was R. Kelly's reception of the R&B artist of the year award. Taking the acceptance speech to a new hi-tech level, he first went on stage with a video camera, taping the audience's response to his honor. Then an assistant handed him a cell phone, on which he talked to his baby daughter as he was presented with the award.
Hosted by actors Kathy Griffin and Adam Carolla, the 1999 Billboard Awards also featured performances by Jennifer Lopez, who opened the show with a sensuous rendition of her hit "Waiting For Tonight"; LeAnn Rimes, who delivered a pitch-perfect cover of Patsy Cline's "Crazy"; and Celine Dion. Metallica also played, accompanied by a full orchestra that was seated in a circle around the band.
The show honored this year's No. 1 artists and songs, as determined by the 1999 year-end Billboard charts. (The year-end statistics are compiled from Billboard's weekly charts published from December 1998 to December 1999.)