Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Snoop Dogg headline MuchMusic Video Awards

TORONTO - After an incendiary performance two years ago, Lady Gaga is set to give fans an encore at tonight's MuchMusic Video Awards.

The five-time Grammy winner was the talk of the town in 2009 when she closed the show with an elaborate performance of a medley of her hits.

She finished the raunchy set by posing with a metal bustier shooting sparks, a move which has since been incorporated into her live show.

But she'll have competition this year from a star-studded cast of performers.

Snoop Dogg, Bruno Mars, Avril Lavigne and City and Colour will also perform at the show, which will be co-hosted by 18-year-old Disney star Selena Gomez.

Down With Webster, Shawn Desman and Fefe Dobson lead with four nominations apiece heading into the show, while other multiple nominees include Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber and Drake.

Of course, the MMVAs are rarely about who wins the awards so much as the accompanying spectacle.

The outdoor show, broadcast outside MuchMusic's Queen Street West headquarters in downtown Toronto, features a reliably lively environment with hundreds of tweens clogging the streets to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars.

Producers foster a party-like atmosphere that extends to the backstage, where free-flowing booze and intermingling stars often lead to memorable moments — like the time Lavigne mooned the camera on live TV all those years ago.

"The parties are just so crazy," said Pierre Bouvier, lead singer for Montreal's Simple Plan, who are set to perform at the show.

"It's so spread out and you're like running around different elevators and hallways, and you've got Rihanna walking by, and ... there's the best food and the best booze everywhere.

"It's definitely the most fun award show I've ever been to and the most chaotic, yet it works."