Commentary: Lacking a Strong Rock Presence, This Year's AMAs Felt Like a Repeat

Fireworks, pyro, candles, all other manner of combustible materials, plus cool lasers and lots of balloons … The 19 performances on this year’s American Music Awards had all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from a fan-voted extravaganza that has more to do with product release dates than actual musical merit. OK, most of those acts deserved to be up on that stage -- four-time winner Justin Bieber, for one, big-seller Taylor Swift, for another, and certainly queen of the ball Rihanna and Pink, who celebrates two major life milestones this month: pregnancy and a greatest hits package, but do we really need another Bon Jovi medley in our lives?