From special guests like Twista and Shawnna to Lil Durk’s big headlining performance and even bigger proposal, the 2021 WGCI Big Jam was full of highlights.
Lil Durk and Lil Baby delivered with their headlining sets at the 2021 WGCI Big Jam (Photo by Dan Garcia).
BY TER STAFF
Saturday night was a BIG night in Chicago at the United Center with the return of WGCI’s annual Big Jam. After taking a year off due to the pandemic, fans instantly sold out the city’s biggest venue for a memorable night of live music.
From some of the night’s early performers like Phor, Queen Key and surprise performances from Crucial Conflict, Twista and Shawnna, to the big closers like Moneybagg Yo, City Girls, Lil Baby and Lil Durk, the night was great from start to finish. The evening was also full of memorable moments, including Lil Durk getting on one knee to propose to India Royal (spoiler alert: she said yes).
Check out our favorite photos from last night WGCI Big Jam below:
The Allstate Arena and 103.5 KISS FM also hosted performances from Saweetie, Black Eyed Peas, AJR, Bazzi and more on Tuesday night.
Lil Nas X performs at the 103.5 KISS FM Jingle Ball at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL (Photo via Instagram)
BY TER STAFF
As shown by the energetic sold-out crowd, Chicago music fans couldn’t wait for the return of iHeartRadio and 103.5 KISS FM‘s annual Jingle Ball. Returning to Rosemont’s Allstate Arena, but with new COVID-19 protocol, the Jingle Ball brought an all-star cast of performers across several genres to make up for an unfortunate year off.
One immediate highlight from Tuesday night’s performances was the cast of musicians that blessed the Allstate Arena and Chicago’s Jingle Ball for the first time. Not only did the lineup’s two biggest performers (Doja Cat, Lil Nas X) perform at Chicago’s Jingle Ball for their first time, but the undercard also welcomed new additions like Dixie D’Amelio and Tate McRae. Of course fans were excited for Bazzi and AJR’s return, but the new blood was definitely a reason fans sold out this year’s show well in advance.
From the moment doors opened until the night’s headlining sets, energy was high throughout the packed arena. The night’s opening performers like Dixie D’Amelio, Tate McRae and Bazzi rewarded fans for arriving on time with short-but-sweet performances. Dixie D’Amelio understood the assignment by staying on theme with a performance of her Liam Payne assisted holiday single, “Naughty List”. D’Amelio, who turned her Tik-Tok empire into a music career, also performed her biggest song to date, “Be Happy” before saying goodbye to her Chicago fans.
Bazzi, who is no stranger to the Jingle Ball Tour, also got the mood going with his biggest singles to date, including “Paradise”, “Beautiful” and “Mine”, which fans sang along to from start to finish.
Perhaps the best performance of the night’s undercard was Tate McRae who showed off her impressive vocals and equally talented dancing skills throughout her 5-track set. Tuesday night marked McRae’s return to the Windy City after blowing fans away at Lollapalooza this past summer.
Photo via Instagram
Throughout the second act of the Jingle Ball’s return, fans were treated to energetic group performances from AJR and Saweetie. Although Saweetie had fans twerking and dancing throughout the venue with songs like “Best Friend” and “Tap In”, it was AJR that burned the house down. The indie pop trio of Adam, Jack and Ryan Met are no strangers to the Jingle Ball, and they go all out, even in an abbreviated performance. One has to wonder how they can have stamina to survive a full set and tour of their own (which will kick off next year with a Chicago date on the schedule).
Next up, Doja Cat did her best to fit in as many as her hits from the past three years as physically possible. With major records like “Say So”, “Juicy”, “Like That”, “Get Into It”, “Kiss Me More” and “You Right”, there was no shortage of hits for her Chicago fans. Doja has yet to announced a 2022 tour, but when she does be sure to get your tickets fast because she puts on a must-see performance, even when sharing the stage with so many other artists.
Although Doja Cat is a hard act to follow, the Black Eyed Peas brought the party to Chi-town with their enormous catalog of hits. From “Boom Boom Pow” to “I Got A Feeling”, the will.i.am led group only brought bangers to their co-headlining set.
Years of hits from the Black Eyed Peas could only be matched by one other artist on the lineup, that being Lil Nax X. The “Old Town Road” overnight star quickly proved he wasn’t a one-hit-wonder with hits like “Industry Baby”, “Holiday” and “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”, all of which were performed for the sold-out crowd on Tuesday night. Lil Nas X alone was worth the price of admission and combined with Doja Cat and the Black Eyed Pease, the three were perfect acts to close out an especially memorable night of live music.
The Jingle Ball Tour will resume this upcoming weekend with stops on the East Coast. Check out the tour’s official website for more info.
Olivia Rodrigo performs at a taping of Austin City Limits Live, for her second ever concert. (Photo by Dan Garcia)
BY TER STAFF
Last month Olivia Rodrigo delivered her second ever concert on a huge stage, the iconic Moody Theater in Austin, Texas for a special taping of Austin City Limits Live. The taping will air on PBS in December but you can peep our photos for a taste of the huge performance.
Check out our photos from Olivia Rodrigo’s second ever live concert at the iconic Austin City Limits:
Olivia Rodrigo performs at the iHeartRadio Daytime Stage in Las Vegas, NV on September 18, 2021. (Photo by Dan Garcia)
BY TER STAFF
We’re pulling some never before seen photos from the vault from Olivia Rodrigo’s first live concert. Following a couple performances on award shows and Saturday Night Live, fans traveled from across the country to Sin City for the iHeartRadio Music Festival and to witness Olivia’s highly anticipated headlining set.
Check out our photos from Olivia Rodrigo’s first ever live concert:
Live music is officially back in the Good Land, as Country Thunder returned to Twin Lakes, WI for another 4-day weekend of stellar country music performances.
But if you expected Country Thunder to ease fans into the action, you were mistaken, because the music festival hit the ground running with a huge headlining performance from “Cowboys and Angels” singer, Dustin Lynch.
The Tennessee native brought all of his hits to the farm on Thursday night, giving most fans their first real taste of live music since the COVID-19 pandemic. Lynch showed no signed of rust though, while delivering a memorable performance for his Midwest fans.
Check out our photos from Dustin Lynch’s headlining performance at Country Thunder Wisconsin:
Chicago’s Windy City Smokeout kept its streak of top notch headlining performers on Saturday night for Day 3 of the 4-day country music festival, with a great performance by Nashville recording artist Dierks Bentley.
Unfortunately for fans who planned on staying dry for the festival, mother nature’s streak did not live on throughout the extended weekend. A little rain wasn’t going to stop the music however, as the show went on and fans enjoyed a day of great performances, rain or shine.
After singer Riley Green warmed up the sold-out crowd, the “What Was I Thinkin” singer made his return to stage in front of his Second City fans and gave Chicago a preview of his upcoming “Beers On Me” tour, which kicks off later this year. Fittingly, early in his performance, Bentley even invited a fan on stage to shotgun a beer, and the energy never fell throughout his entire set.
Check out our photos from Dierks Bentley’s stormy show for his Windy City Smokeout fans:
Darius Rucker rocked his Windy City Smokeout fans like a wagon wheel on Friday night after his highly anticipated return to stage. Performing a number of his country music hits, a few covers, and even some of his Hootie & The Blowfish singles, the “Hold My Hand” recording artist delivered a show that Chicago will not soon forget.
From start to finish, you would never have guessed that this was one of Rucker’s only performances in the last year and a half. The Hootie & The Blowfish lead turned country star didn’t miss a beat on Friday and proved why he was one of the stand out names on the festival’s stacked lineup, blowing the crowd away with performances of “Alright”, “Hold My Hand” and of course his rendition of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel”.
Check out our favorite photos from Rucker’s headlining performance:
Live music has returned to the Second City, as Chicago’s premiere country music festival, the Windy City Smokeout, kicked off on Thursday night with Illinois’ own, Brett Eldredge.
Celebrating the festival’s 9th year and 2nd year taking place at the lots of the United Center, the same site that hosted mass vaccination clinics throughout the spring is now host to Chicago’s first music festival of 2021. Needless to say, fans couldn’t be more excited.
The Windy City Smokeout is expected to host more than 15,000 fans throughout the extended weekend, with headlining performances from A-list country stars like Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley and Jon Pardi, as well as big performances from Morgan Evans, Ryan Hurd, the Randy Rogers Band and many more. If the music alone wasn’t enough for you, the festival will also feature some of the best BBQ from the local and national pitmasters.
The moment that fans had been waiting for, for over a year, night 1 of the festival was a can’t miss evening as Brett Eldredge blessed Chicago with it’s biggest performance since March of 2020, also marking our return to live music coverage since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Check out our favorite photos from the “Don’t Ya” singers memorable performance:
Chicago’s WGCI brought some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B to the United Center this weekend for their annual Big Jam. The lineup included 2019’s biggest hitmakers from hip-hop heavyweights the Migos, the charismatic DaBaby, and “Hot Girl Summer” creator Megan Thee Stallion.
The stacked-up bill also included support from Tink, Yella Beezy, Jacquees, G Herbo, and Wale. It also included a surprise appearance from Chicago’s own Jeremih during Wale’s set. The Chicago fans came to represent the city well with the strong support for G Herbo. The hometown favorite wasted no time in his laidback robust set.
Meg The Stallion turned up the crowd into a frenzy with her Hot Girl Summer anthems. She also led two rounds of an audience volunteered twerk showcase. Da Baby’s hip-hop musical took over the Big Jam stage, which created an energy-filled performance from start to finish that performing in the show out audience. There was a missed opportunity not having Megan Thee Stallion and Da Baby perform “Cash” together, but both performances were equality highlights of the night.
Big Jam paid tribute in the packed United Center to Chicago’s own Juice Wrld. “Lucid Dreams” played as a montage of footage of past performances and studio sessions played to honor the recently passed artist.
WGCI’s Big Jam continues to bring the biggest names in music, creating a lineup of can’t miss performances. This year was no different. The always sold-out Big Jam is the best way to celebrate and enjoy the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B. Big Jam has succeeded in ending the year on a high note with its talent stacked lineup.
103.5 KISS FM brought some of the biggest names in music to Chicago’s annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball.
With a massive headlining performance from the Jonas Brothers, artists like NF, Niall Horan, AJR, Zara Larsson, Why Don’t We and Lewis Capaldi also blessed the stage at the sold out holiday concert.
Check out our photos from last night’s performance below!
Chicago’s B96 brought some of the biggest names in music for their annual and fan favorite, B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash.
With star studded performances from Katy Perry, Camila Cabello, Marshmello, as well as memorable sets from AJ Mitchell, NCT 127, Monsta X and Normani, last night was a night to remember!
Check out our photos from last night’s performance below!
Maren Morris is on top of the world right now. After taking home the night’s biggest award, for Album of the Year at the Country Music Awards, Maren Morris wrapped up her huge Girl: The World Tour with a couple final dates in the Midwest, including a big performance at The Rave in Milwaukee, WI.
No stranger to Milwaukee’s historic venue, Maren Morris’ weekend performance was her biggest in Milwaukee to date. From her co-headlining show with Jon Pardi to her opening set for Keith Urban at the Bradley Center, Maren Morris has delivered a number of memorable performances in Milwaukee. The “My Church” singer added to that list of great performances on Friday night.
Kicking off her performance with her newest album’s title track, Morris performed the majority of her critically acclaimed album, Girl, as well as many stand outs from her debut album Hero, and even a couple entertaining covers as well. Maren also treated fans to a special solo performance of “Crowded Table”, one of the Grammy winning singer’s collaborations with her new country supergroup, The Highwomen.
From start to finish, the expecting mother and emerging country superstar showed us again how she is one of the best entertainers in music today. While it’s unclear when Maren Morris will make her next visit to Milwaukee, since needless to say she will be very busy in the next couple years, fans can’t wait to welcome her back.
Check out our favorite photos from Maren Morris’ Milwaukee tour stop below.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s award winning musical “Hamilton” made it’s long awaiting debut at Milwaukee’s Marcus Performing Arts Center on Tuesday night for a diverse sold-out crowd. Kicking off the blockbuster hip-hop infused musical’s 32-show run, as part of it’s national tour, Hamilton will bring joy to thousands of Milwaukee fans throughout the engagement which runs through November 17.
Whether you consider yourself a Varsity Broadway type or if you’ve yet to attend the city’s beautiful Marcus Center and instead rode the wave of Hamilton’s cultural impact of the last half decade, the Tony Award winning musical has something for everyone.
If you’ve been in a coma since 2016, Hamilton has brought broadway to a larger audience and at the forefront of pop culture thanks to the imagination of actor, composer and writer Lin-Manuel Miranda, who has since became a household name with the success of the musical. Hamilton tells the story of America’s founding father, Alexander Hamilton, a West Indies immigrant who became the Robin to George Washington’s Batman during the Revolutionary War. And while the musical, which was based on Ron Chernow’s biography “Alexander Hamilton”, certainly delivers a rich history lesson to its audience, Miranda’s use of rap dialogue and a score that blends jazz, R&B, blues, rap and Broadway makes for an unlikely combination that totally works.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, like Hamilton, was an unsung hero whose story is now being told on a national scale thanks to the success of the musical, and although you won’t enjoy Miranda’s skills as an actor during the musical’s run in Milwaukee, Hamilton is a fine-tuned product now made on a large scale with little variation to ensure that the hundreds of audiences that enjoy the musical every year all witness the same quality of performance.
Hamilton’s national tour is led by a carefully crafted cast of some of the best actors in the country, including Joseph Morales and Nik Walker, who portray Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, the musical’s protagonist and antagonist. Not to mention the talented musicians and technicians that work tirelessly behind the scenes to allow the actors to shine at their full potential for every city and every performance.
Morales makes Miranda proud with his amazing portrayal of Alexander Hamilton, and while he can’t fill Lin-Manuel’s shoes in all aspects of the visionary’s life, as a Broadway actor he is second to none. But while Morales’ acting is near perfect, the musical’s central character is far from it. Hamilton tells the rags to riches story of one of America’s most famous immigrants and our nation’s first Treasury Secretary, but the character still has his share of flaws including his off-putting relentlessness and public sex scandal.
In many ways, Alexander Hamilton’s friend turned foe, Aaron Burr (played by Nik Walker), is the more relatable character of the musical. Audience members may find themselves sympathetic for Burr as his jealously boils throughout Alexander Hamilton’s rise in America with Walker’s impressive portrayal. Although Burr is undoubtedly the “bad guy” of Hamilton, it’s not that easy as the musical blurs the lines in a realistic and historical way.
The list of what makes Hamilton so great is massive, but there is no better way to experience the performance than live and in person. You can bump the musical’s Grammy winning soundtrack while you’re reading Alexander Hamilton’s biography, but nothing compares to the real thing.
Hamilton tells a compelling story in a unique fashion that only Lin-Manuel Miranda knew would work. So whether you bought your Marcus Center season pass just to get your tickets as soon as possible or whether you’re one of the 40 lucky “Hamilton Lottery” winners selected during each performance of the Milwaukee run, Hamilton is a must see for any person that enjoys entertainment. Hamilton is bringing together fans of rap, American history and Broadway types thanks to the talents of Lin-Manuel Miranda and the amazing cast and crew of the musical’s U.S. tour.
Limited tickets remain for various performances through Milwaukee’s 4-week run, so get yours now while they’re still available. Hamilton’s Milwaukee run lasts through November 17, 2019.
Chicago heavy metal band, Disturbed, invaded the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Sunday evening for a rocking night with In This Moment. Currently on their headlining Evolution Tour, Disturbed is traveling to some of the biggest arenas in the world to bring their fiery tour across the glove. Do yourself a favor and a visit to our friends at OnMilwaukee.com for more photos and a full review.
Check out our favorite photos from Disturbed’s Milwaukee tour stop below.
From “High Horse” to “Justified”, there are several songs we hope make the setlist for Kacey Musgraves’ biggest headlining tour to date.
Kacey Musgraves performing at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN on June 15, 2019 (Photo by Dan Garcia).
BY TER STAFF
One of 2022’s most anticipated tour kicks off tomorrow night in St. Paul, MN, as Kacey Musgraves is bringing her “Star-Crossed: Unveiled” Tour to an arena near you.
Making stops in Chicago, Nashville, New York, Denver, Dallas, Oakland and many more, the Grammy-winning country and pop star is touring in support of her newest LP, star-crossed. Ticket prices vary by city but start as low as $16.00, and if you want to be up close to the action you can find general admission floor tickets for under $100.
This tour marks the first opportunity fans have to hear live versions of Musgraves’ new critically acclaimed album, but of course fans can’t wait to hear all of her hits from the past decade. Needless to say there are many tracks we hope make the setlist come tomorrow night and throughout the entire tour.
Check out the 5 songs we need to hear on Kacey Musgraves’ upcoming Star-Crossed: Unveiled Tour and get your tickets for a city near you at Kacey Musgraves’ official website:
Paramore perform at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN on June 8, 2018.
Photo by Dan Garcia
The Warped Tour Walked so Las Vegas’ newest music festival, the When We Were Young Festival, could run.
So if you love live music from the past two decades, most of your favorite emo and rock bands are joining forces at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on October 22nd, 2022.
With performances from My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Bring Me The Horizon, Avril Lavigne, Jimmy Eat World, The Used, Taking Back Sunday and many more, the epic and nostalgic lineup is a can’t miss. Presale begins Friday, January 21st at the festival’s official website, so don’t miss out.
Check out the full lineup poster for the When We Were Young Festival below.
Coachella took an extended hiatus due to the pandemic but is set to return in 2022 with an epic lineup.
Making his Coachella return, Kanye West (now “Ye”) is headlining the festival, which takes place on April 15-17 and April 22-24. Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and Swedish House Mafia also are headlining the event with names like Lil Baby, Doja Cat, Big Sean, Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage, Run the Jewels and Baby Keem to support.
Presale for this year’s Coachella begins on Friday, January 14th at 10 AM (PT) with remaining inventory going on sale at 2 PM. Get yours fast because with a lineup this great, they will surely sell out.
After missing consecutive years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and major flooding which rendered the festival grounds inoperable, the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is returning to Manchester, TN in 2022.
Running from June 16th to the 19th, The Farm will welcome a number of big times artists for one of the best music festivals in the world. Headling the festival in 2022 will be J. Cole, Stevie Nicks and Tool. In addition, artists like The Chicks, Flume, 21 Savage, Machine Gun Kelly, Roddy Ricch, The War on Drugs, Marc Rebillet, Billy Strings, Ludacris and more will perform.
If the artists above weren’t worth the price of admission, Jack Antonoff will curate this year’s Superjam, which will easily be one of the most talked about sets for the year.
Festival passes go on sale starting Thursday, January 13th at 12:00 p.m. (Central) via Ticketmaster.
Fans packed Boston’s legendary TD Garden for a cheerful night of live music with performances from the Jonas Brothers, Black Eyed Peas, Sean Paul, Saweetie, Bazzi and more.
The Jonas Brothers bring their Happiness Begins Tour to the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI on September 17, 2019. (Photo by Dan Garcia)
BY TER STAFF
Boston was burnin’ up on Sunday night with the Jonas Brothers and the return of the KISS 108 Jingle Ball, and although the night was without one of its co-headliners, the Jingle Ball managed to still deliver an incredible night of live music!
Days leading up to the Boston date of iHeartRadio’s annual Jingle Bell tour, a wrench was thrown into the plans when one of the lineup’s biggest acts, Doja Cat, had to cancel her appearance due to a COVID outbreak amongst her team. Organizers later replaced Doja’s performance with a late addition, as Jamaican recording artist Sean Paul stepped up to the plate to fill her shoes.
Even without Doja Cat, the show went on because of the Boston lineup’s immensely talented cast of musicians. Fans on Sunday night witnessed memorable performances from some of biggest names in Top 40 like Saweetie, the Black Eyed Peas, Tate McRae, Bazzi, Sean Paul, Tai Verdes, Dixie D’Amelio and of course the three stars of the night, Nick, Joe and Kevin, the Jonas Brothers.
Up first for the night was TikTok superstar turned emerging pop-star, Dixie D’Amelio. With only a few singles under her belt at this point, D’Amelio performed a mini-set to get the evening started, including her debut single “Be Happy” and of course her catchy holiday record, “Naughty List”, for the Jingle Ball crowd.
Following Dixie’s kick-off, a number of other emerging stars blessed the stage for the packed New England crowd, including Tai Verdes, Tate McRae and Bazzi. Tai Verdes performed tracks like “Drugs”, “Stuck in the Middle” and his viral hit “A-O-K”, showing off his endurance with his high energy performance. Next up, fans were losing their mind with Bazzi, the most established artist among the most emerging names who kicked off the Jingle Ball on Sunday night. From opening his 15-minute set with “Paradise” to tracks like “Mine” and his Camila Cabello-assisted single “Beautiful”, Bazzi had Boston singing along throughout the performance.
Although Bazzi was a tough act to follow, Tate McRae delivered, performing songs like “Bad Ones”, “stupid” and her breakout 2020 hit, “you broke me first”. Dancing throughout her performance in a shiny gray outfit, McRae sparkled on the big stage.
Despite being half-time, the night took no breaks. Moments after McRae waved goodbye to her fans, the Black Eyed Peas turned the energy up to a completely new level. If you forgot how big the Black Eyed Peas are, they quickly reminded you with their years of hits. With records like “Boom Boom Pow”, “Push It” and “I Gotta Feeling”, to name a few, BEP brought the party to the TD Garden last night.
With anticipation building to the Jingle Ball’s headlining performance, fans enjoyed 20-minute sets from Saweetie and Sean Paul. Saweetie twerked through the set while performing some of her recent singles like “Tap In” and “Best Friend”. Although her best friend, Doja Cat, was quarantining in a hotel room due to COVID protocols, Saweetie only needed a microphone to put on a great set. Following Saweetie, Doja Cat’s last-minute replacement, Sean Paul, stepped in as a bonus for the Boston crowd. Paul brought Jamaica to New England with his biggest tracks like “Get Busy” and “Temperature”.
Last and certainly not least, the Jonas Brothers, put an exclamation mark on an already memorable night. Performing hits, new and old, the JoBros had fans singing along to hits like “Sucker”, “Leave Before You Love Me” and “Burnin’ Up”. If Jonas Brothers’ decades of hits weren’t enough, the guys also treated Boston to a cover of Nick’s solo hit, “Jealous”, as well as their Christmas record “Like It’s Christmas”.
The headlining set alone was worth the price of admission and Nick, Joe and Kevin had Sunday night feelings like Christmas on the East Coast. Fans already can’t wait for both the Jonas Brothers and the Jingle Ball to return to Massachusetts.
In support of her new LP, Star-Crossed, Kacey Musgraves is hitting the road to kick off 2022 with her biggest headlining tour to date.
Kicking things off on January 19th at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Pail, MN, Spacey Kacey will makes stops at a number of arenas throughout the country, including stops in Chicago, Cleveland, Nashville, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and many more.
Tickets for the Star-Crossed: Unveiled tour go on sale, next month, September 9th at 10 a.m. (local time), with a special presale from September 2nd to 8th.
Check out the dates for Kacey Musgraves’ headlining 2022 tour below.
The Early Registration 