Eminem [ tickets ] and 'NSync--both nominated for six MTV Video Music Awards--each walked away with three Moonman statuettes at Thursday night’s (9/7) awards ceremony, tying each other for the most wins of the evening. The annual event’s more-notable highlights also included a number of live performances, an impromptu bit of set-climbing by a member of Rage Against the Machine that ultimately led to his arrest, and comedic salvos fired between Metallica [ tickets ] drummer Lars Ulrich and Napster founder Shawn Fanning.

Eminem’s video for “The Real Slim Shady”--a song that the controversial rapper performed live during the ceremony--took top honor for Video of the Year, as well as the Best Male Video category. Eminem also snagged the Best Rap Video award for “Forgot About Dre,” a collaboration with Dr. Dre.

‘NSync picked up three awards for its “Bye Bye Bye” video. In addition to topping both the Best Pop Video and Best Choreography in a Video categories, the video snared the Viewer's Choice award, the only award of the night determined by fans’ votes. The popular boy band performed the song as part of a three-song medley delivered during a live performance at the ceremony.

Behind Eminem [ tickets ] and ‘NSync with two wins apiece were Aaliyah, Bjork, Macy Gray, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Aaliyah’s “Try Me” video--of a song featured in the film “Romeo Must Die"--picked up awards for Best Female Video and Best Video from a Film. Bjork’s sci-fi-ish video for “All is Full of Love,” meanwhile, took the Breakthrough Video and Best Special Effects in a Video awards, both of which were relegated to the ceremony’s non-televised, technical awards portion.

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication”--which the group performed live--pulled down a pair of awards, one for Best Direction in a Video and a second for Best Art Direction in a Video. The group was also presented with the annual Video Vanguard award, honoring the band for the videos it has made over its nearly two-decade career. The non-competitive award was first given to Michael Jackson in the ‘80s.

Blink-182, Destiny's Child, Dr. Dre, Macy Gray, Jennifer Lopez, Limp Bizkit, Aimee Mann and Sisqo each managed to claim one award.

Papa Roach entertained the crowd outside Radio City Music Hall in New York City with a live, pre-ceremony performance delivered from atop the venue’s marquee. Janet Jackson, meanwhile, was the opening performer for the ceremony proper. The night also saw performances by Sisqo, Britney Spears [ tickets ], Nelly, Christina Aguilera, Rage Against the Machine and Blink-182.

Perhaps more memorable than the actual awards presentations and live performances, however, was a bizarre moment that occurred during Limp Bizkit’s acceptance of the award for Best Rock Video, a category in which they were pitted against a number of other bands, including Rage Against the Machine.

Rage bassist Y.Tim.K--a.k.a. Tim Commerford--climbed to the top of the stage set immediately behind the podium and began shaking the entire structure as the members of Limp Bizkit stood below, attempting to give their acceptance speech. He refused security personnel’s requests to come down for roughly 15 minutes, and was eventually arrested and charged with disturbing the peace, to which he pled guilty on Friday (9/8).

Less serious shenanigans involved an on-stage appearance by Napster founder Fanning. Fanning wore a Metallica [ tickets ] T-shirt, joking that he had borrowed it from a friend while considering buying his own. Metallica's Ulrich later returned Fanning’s volley during a skit in which the drummer pretended to steal a number of items from a college student’s dorm room while a voice-over declared “Sharing’s only fun when it’s not your stuff.” Both parties are currently involved in a massive copyright infringement lawsuit that Metallica and a number of other groups have filed against Fanning’s MP3 file-trading network.