Sandy Tapp of St. Paul:

1 Alessia Cara, MTV VMAs. With Logic and Khalid, she did an amazing piece with suicide survivors. She also highlighted the theme of her hit "Scars to Your Beautiful" by removing her wig, earrings and fancy clothes midsong.

2 "Springsteen on Broadway." He extended his Broadway run for another 10 weeks. I got tickets!

3 "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift. Her new single had the largest streaming day for one song on ­Spotify, and reignited her feud with Kanye West.

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Jon Bream of the Star Tribune:

1 George Clinton, State Fair. He and P-Funk delivered 90 minutes of funk and fun.

2 Pink's speech, MTV VMAs. In accepting the Video Vanguard, she explained to her daughter, 6, who'd complained she was ugly and boyish, the importance of individualism and self-love — messages that resonated with all viewers.

3 Joan Osborne, "Songs of Bob Dylan." She re-imagines 13 songs with a bluesy, Southern soul vibe. Nicely done.