The greatest Latin Grammys performances of all time

The first Latin Grammys, which took place On Sep. 13, 2000, kicked off with a tribute to Tito Puente, one of the most important Latin artists of all time, by Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin and Celia Cruz, all legends in their own right. 

Was it a gimmick when NSync joined Puerto Rican pop salsa group Son By Four onstage at the first Latin Grammys after the latter performed "A Puro Dolor" to sing "Yo Te Voy Amar," the Spanish version of the hit single "This I Promise You?" Absolutely. Doesn't make it any less iconic.   

Among the big winners at the first Latin Grammys were Carlos Santana and Maná — their joint single "Corazon Espinado" won the first-ever "Record of the Year" award. The legends also performed it at the ceremony. 

The Queen of Salsa passed away just months before the Fourth Annual Latin Grammys, so naturally the ceremony had a star-studded tribute in her honor. Among the performers that night were Gloria Estefan, Willie Colon, Marc Anthony and Johnny Pacheco. 

Beyonce was collaborating with Latin artists well before remixing J Balvin's "Mi Gente." In 2004, at the Fifth Annual Latin Grammys, she and the other members of Destiny's Child joined Alejandro Sanz to perform "Quisiera Ser," his big hit of the year. 

At the Seventh Annual Latin Grammy Awards, it was Alejandro Sanz's turn to play a supporting role. Sanz joined Shakira onstage to perform "La Tortura," which won Record of the Year and Song of the Year that same night.

One of the performances at the ninth edition of the ceremony was a tribute to the accordion and featured legendary Tejano players Michael Salgado and David Lee Garza. Finishing off that tribute was none other than Mexican indie pop favorite Julieta Venegas, an accomplished accordionist in her own right.

How did the Latin Grammys celebrate their 10th anniversary? By making Juan Gabriel the focal point. Also known as el divo (male diva) de Juarez, JuanGa's Latin Grammy performances lasted well over 30 minutes. Some people might say that was excessive. Those people will forever be wrong.

In 2011, at the 12th Annual Latin Grammys, conductor Gustavo Dudamel and his Orquesta Sinfonica Simon Bolivar accompanied Puerto Rican hip-hop group Calle 13 to perform the aptly named ode "Latinamerica."

As if that breathtaking Calle 13 performance wasn't enough, the 12th Annual Latin Grammys also featured Romeo Santos and Usher performing "Promise." 

One of the highlights of the 13th Annual Latin Grammys was the arrival of the tribal genre. 3ball MTY — big winners that night — performed "Intentalo" and were joined by LMFAO's Sky Blu. 

There are too many great Pitbull Latin Grammy performances to choose from, so don't be surprised if you see Mr. Worldwide's name again. The 13th Annual Latin Grammys merit mention because he performed "Don't Stop the Party."

The 14th edition of the Latin Grammys were all about paying homage to the legendary artists of the past. Among the performances that night was Natalie Cole singing "Acercate Mas" with video footage of her father, Nat King Cole. 

That same year, Natalia LaFourcade performed "Maria Bonita," the Agustin Lara-penned ballad that's considered one of the greatest songs in Mexico's rich musical history. 

Juanes' medley at the 15th Annual Latin Grammys was certainly one for the ages. He sang "Me Enamora," "La Camisa Negra," and "La Luz" to the adoring fans present at the MGM Grand Arena that night. 

The 15th Annual Latin Grammys featured one of the best performances in the awards history when Pitbull was accompanied by Carlos Santana in "Oye."

Maná joined Los Tigres del Norte at the 16th Annual Latin Grammys to perform the pro-immigrant anthem "Somos Más Americanos" just months after Donald Trump announced he was running for president by saying disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants. 

Bomba Estereo is one of the most exciting acts worldwide. That's not an opinion; it's objective fact. Just ask Will Smith, who loves the band so much he was featured in a remix of "Fiesta." Smith also joined Bomba Estereo onstage at the 16th Annual Latin Grammys in 2015 for a live performance of the song.

Among the highlights of the 17th edition of the awards, in 2016, was Pharell Williams joining J Balvin in the song he features in, "Safari." 

The bar was set high after Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez performed a four-song medley that featured "I Need to Know" in 2016's ceremony. They may no longer be married, but they will always be the first couple of Latin music.

After a moment of a silence to open the 2017 show, Residente performed his nominated hit, "Hijos del Cañaveral," with a stage full of fellow Puerto Rican musicians and dedicated the night to everyone touched by the devastation of Hurricane Maria with a song about the strength of the island and its people. Residente wasn't the only artist who spoke up for Puerto Rico. Luis Fonsi dedicated his award for "Despacito" to his fellow Puerto Ricans, and Lin-Manuel Miranda made an impassioned plea to the White House and Congress for additional storm relief saying, "Puerto Ricans are humans, too." 

Singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz, who was named the Person of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy, took the stage to perform “No Es lo Mismo” with a group of Dreamers — undocumented immigrants’ children with no certain road for protection or citizenship — advocating for their support. 

Colombian artist Juanes had long been a fan of Logic's five-times platinum 2017 single, "1-800-273-8255," but it wasn't until he saw Logic perform it live in Miami that he understood the magnitude and wanted to be part of the mainstream anti-suicide messaging. In the remix, Juanes sings his part in Spanish. Juanes, Logic and Alessia Cara (who is also featured on the original) performing "1-800" at the 2017 Latin Grammys was the culmination.