Nice to have them back! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the live performances that ended a singer’s hiatus, revived their fame, or came after a period of uncertainty in their career.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the live performances that
00:11ended a singer's hiatus, revived their fame, or came after a period of uncertainty in their
00:17career.
00:26Number 10. Jonas Brothers, The Late Late Show with James Corden. Millions of millennials
00:36completely freaked out when Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas announced they were getting the
00:40band back together. Late Late Show host James Corden got in on the action by having the
00:45brothers on his show for nearly a whole week to commemorate the occasion. When they debuted
00:50their first single together in six years, the audience was full of screaming fans. The
01:03performance featured some wicked stagecraft. With moving platforms and an entire troupe
01:07of backup dancers, the whole thing looked more like a full-scale awards show than a
01:11late night set.
01:19Number 9. Mariah Carey, Good Morning America. The stakes were high for the emancipation
01:32of Mimi. Mariah Carey's last studio album didn't get the best reviews, and she had barely
01:37recovered from the box office disaster of Glitter.
01:45The auspicious start of the album's American release was a short concert on Good Morning
01:52America. As soon as she came out in that fur coat and sparkling dress, it was clear the
01:57queen was back and the mic was on. She captivated the adoring Times Square crowd for 20 magical
02:03minutes. With each song, you could literally see her gaining in power and confidence.
02:14Number 8. Gloria Estefan, 18th Annual American Music Awards. There was a possibility that
02:22Gloria Estefan would never perform again. The Cuban-American singer was involved in
02:27a devastating tour bus accident in 1990, which fractured her spine.
02:44She took nearly a year to heal. When she did return, the entire audience at the 1991 American
02:52Music Awards stood and applauded before she even began her song. Visibly emotional at
02:57the response, she tore through her newest single, Coming Out of the Dark. Inspired by
03:08something her husband said to her in the wake of the accident, it's a ballad about emotional
03:12strength and finding strength in love that spoke to the magnitude of the moment. Estefan
03:17wasn't just back, she was better than ever.
03:26Number 7. Barbara Streisand, One Voice. Despite putting out nearly 40 albums over the past
03:3460 years and having one of the best voices in music, Barbara Streisand concerts are famously
03:44scarce. She doesn't tour albums the way many artists do, so when she announced she was
03:52doing a one-time-only concert in 1986 for a host of her favorite charities, it became
04:08an event unto itself. The audience was a who's who of Hollywood royalty, even music fans
04:21like Bette Midler and Whitney Houston expressed their excitement at seeing Streisand sing
04:25live for the very first time. The concert, filmed on Streisand's ranch, itself is perfection
04:31from start to finish.
04:39Number 6. Joni Mitchell, Joni Mitchell at Newport. The master singer-songwriter's recovery
04:45is one of music's most unlikely comebacks. Joni Mitchell's career as a performer was
04:49already slowing down when she experienced a damaging brain aneurysm in 2015. Seven years
04:54later, Mitchell made a triumphant return to the stage at the legendary Newport Folk Festival.
05:06She was not alone. She was supported on all sides by several other famous singers and
05:11admirers, including Brandi Carlile, Wynonna Judd, and Marcus Mumford.
05:20Even as she performed most of the set from the comfort of an ornate easy chair, she still
05:24had an enormous stage presence. It was a concert as much as it was a celebration of her career.
05:40Number 5. Destiny's Child, Super Bowl XLVII
05:49After they marked their last performance in 2006, the trio made up of Beyonce, Kelly Rowland,
05:56and Michelle Williams went their separate ways. It would take seven years for them to
06:00reunite, and they couldn't have picked a better occasion. When she was chosen to headline
06:04the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show, it was rumored that Beyonce's husband Jay-Z would
06:09be the special guest. Instead, halfway through the show, her former
06:19bandmates were rocketed out of the stage to join her for a medley of their hits. Destiny's
06:24Child set the stage on fire that night, and yes, we do mean that literally.
06:38Number 4. Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac, The Dance
06:46McFleetwood's band has gone through many lineups over the years. Its most iconic and
06:53successful one featured Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks,
06:58whose behind-the-scenes tension inspired some of their best songs.
07:09Having broken up in 1987, the Rumors-era lineup came back together briefly for the 1993 Clinton
07:15inauguration. But we'd have to wait until 1997 for a full reunion. The Dance is a night
07:26of great songs, nostalgia, and years of pent-up emotions playing out on stage. The concert
07:32filmed at Warner Bros. Studios ended in explosive fashion with the full USC Trojan marching
07:37band on stage.
07:45Number 3. Tina Turner, 27th Annual Grammy Awards
07:49This year she's made one of the biggest comebacks in show business history. I mean, it's incredible.
07:55She's been described, and you'll like this, she's been described as the woman God made
07:59to show other women how to dance in high-heeled shoes.
08:04After surviving a disastrous and agonizing marriage, Tina Turner went from performing
08:08in arenas and packed theaters to hotel lounges and small clubs. What's Love Got to Do With
08:13It from the Private Dancer album was her second chance. She cleaned up at the Grammys, tying
08:24with Prince for most awards of the night. The barn-burning performance of her new signature
08:28hit became the perfect climax of her unlikely comeback story. It wasn't the first time she'd
08:33performed it on TV, but it represented the reality that the irrepressible queen of rock
08:38and roll was back.
08:46Number 2. Céline Dion, 33rd Olympic Summer Games
08:50I miss it so much. The people. I miss them. Although she told CBC's Adrienne Arsenault,
09:00expect a comeback.
09:01Over the past few years, we've watched as the world-renowned Canadian singer has opened
09:05up about her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome. Céline Dion's battle with the neurological
09:10disorder left people with doubts that she would ever perform again, despite her own
09:14promise to return no matter what it took.
09:23She keeps her promises. She was the surprise guest at the end of the 2024 Paris Olympics
09:29opening ceremony. From the Eiffel Tower, Dion powered through the classic French love song
09:34Hymne à l'amour. Even if you had no idea what she'd been through, it was a stunning
09:38performance. And if you did know, it seemed like a miracle.
09:50Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:54Rihanna, Super Bowl LV. We're still waiting on that album, but we can't deny how epic
10:00this halftime show was.
10:08Tracy Chapman, 66th Annual Grammy Awards. Luke Holmes' cover of Fast Car and their
10:13duet brought her back to the Grammys.
10:20Britney Spears, Bambi Verlaine 2008. After a very difficult year, Spears returned to
10:26live performance with her new single.
10:35Usher, Super Bowl LV. One of the best showmen in music proved he still has it.
10:56Elvis Presley, Elvis. For the better part of the 1960s, the king of rock and roll had
11:17all but abandoned touring for a successful career in the movies. Seeing Elvis Presley
11:21on screen was one thing, but fans were missing the raw power of his live performances.
11:33This hour-long concert for TV was a return to his adoring public as much as it was a
11:37chance to reintroduce himself to a new generation of listeners, more than ten years removed
11:42from his big break.
11:51The 1968 special was an instant hit when it premiered on NBC. It drew a massive audience,
11:57with nearly half of all TV watchers tuning in that night. The special single-handedly
12:01relaunched his career in music.
12:11Which of these comebacks was most iconic to you? Sound off in the comments.
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