Tonight marked the fourth stop on Future’s Purple Reign Tour, performing for a sold out Indianapolis crowd. First up for the night was Ty Dolla $ign, playing a number of tracks from his debut album Free TC. From the start, the crowd was singing in harmony with Ty Dolla. Ty Dolla’s set was full of energy, crowd surfing to sharing his own recreations with the fans. The Wiz Khalifa-affiliated artist finished his set with a preview of a song seen later in the show, ‘Blase’. Needless to say, Ty Dolla $ign started the Purple Reign show off with plenty of energy.
The crowd in Indy was primed for a great show from Future Hendrix. Future delivered above and beyond the cost of admission for the sell out crowd – which is understandable, considering Future has three number one albums within one year. Future reeled off hit after hit – including some earlier tracks such as ‘Same Damn Time,’ and ‘Jumpman’ from What A Time to Be Alive. Future brought Ty Dolla back for an encore performance of ‘Blase’ which absolutely ignited the crowd. Heaviest play came from critically acclaimed DS2 and Purple Reign which was just released weeks ago. The highlight of the show, in my opinion, had to be ‘March Madness’ a track that has only continued to gain momentum. (The title of the track resonated especially well with the IU Hoosier crowd). In addition the music, the stage lighting of the show was in complete harmony with Future’s themed Dirty Sprite 2/Purple Reign.
Check out more of our photos from Future’s highly anticipated Purple Reign Tour below, and if you haven’t got your tickets and your city isn’t sold out, get tickets for Future’s remaining dates at Freebandz.com.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early RegistrationLast night Fetty Wap, Monty and Post Malone brought the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour to Madison, WI. Selling out the historic Orpheum Theatre, located just seconds away from the University of Wisconsin campus, the college crowd got wild for Fetty Wap and company. The night began as a number of emerging artists from Fetty Wap’s team hit the stage, introducing themselves to fans. With everything from singers to rappers to dancers, Fetty Wap’s crew of artists are much more diverse than you’d ever expect.
Next up for the night was rapper/singer Post Malone. Opening with his huge hit track ‘White Iverson’, the Republic Records artist continued his set with his bigger songs from his growing catalogue. Fans are currently awaiting Post Malone’s debut album, but that didn’t stop Madison from getting hype during Post’s performances of ‘Too Young’, ‘TEAR$’ and more. And how do you close your performance when you’re one of the hottest emerging names in rap but with only so many songs to perform? You get the crowd hype again for a second and closing performance of ‘White Iverson’, and surely no one was mad at it.
Finally it was time for the man of the night, Mr. 1738 himself, New Jersey’s best thing since Bruce Springsteen and Lauryn Hill, rapper/singer Fetty Wap. And from the screams of the crowd when Fetty hit the stage, you would not have guessed that just about a year ago Fetty was an artist struggling to get his music out. But last night, in Madison, WI, Fetty Wap might as well have been the biggest name in music because it sure felt like it. The crowd sang every word, from ‘Trap Queen’ to ‘My Way’ to Fetty’s B-Side cuts. And energy was at an all-time high when Fetty brought out his right-hand man, Monty. Fetty’s longtime friend and frequent collaborator is featured on a total of 7 tracks from Fetty Wap’s self-titled debut, so Monty was definitely more than your average hype man. The two rocked the stage all night, giving MadTown a night that they will never forget!
Check out our photos from last night’s show below and make sure get your tickets to a tour stop near you at TicketMaster.com.
Right now, Future is on stage for a sold-out Orpheum Theatre, kicking off The Purple Reign Tour in Madison, Wisconsin. And while usually there are plenty of places you’d rather be in February than the frigid Midwest, there was (and is) no better place to be tonight than Future’s tour opener with Ty Dolla $ign, less than a mile west of the always crazy University of Wisconsin campus. Only half-way through the show tonight, you can already tell that the Badger crowd came to party. So the rest of the tour stops (I’m looking at you, Chicago) better be ready to match the energy of tonight’s crowd and the Epic Records’ premiere artist.
Tonight kicked off to a great start with a memorable opening performance from Free TC rapper/singer, Ty Dolla $ign. The Kanye West-affiliated rapper, who played a big role on Ye’s latest LP The Life of Pablo, rapped a number of tracks off his critically acclaimed debut album, which released just last year. Free TC ended up on many year end lists in 2015, and featured appearances from Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and R. Kelly, just to name a few. Rightfully so, a highlight of Ty’s set tonight came as he performed his Future-assisted single, ‘Blasé’, which also features ‘No Type’ rappers, Rae Sremmurd. Although Future stayed backstage, preparing for his set, and Rae Sremmurd stayed back in Atlanta, Ty Dolla $ign needed no help getting the Wisconsin crowd hyped for the track. An exciting emerging act who is worth the price of admission alone, Ty Dolla $ign surely delivered for the tour’s opener.
With a brief intermission following Ty Dolla $ign performance as crew prepared for the man of the hour, it was soon time for the DS2 rapper to hit the stage. Future’s set began as his DJ, DJ Esco, played a couple Future records to amp up the crowd and build Madison’s anticipation. Singing along word-by-word, the sold-out crowd was not only enjoying Esco’s cuts, but were also anxious and excited for Future to take stage. And it wasn’t long before Madison could see their Future right before their eyes, as he came out, rapping to his hit track ‘I Thought It Was a Drough’. Next, opening The Purple Reign Tour with other fan favorites like ‘Move That Dope’ and ‘Same Damn Time’, any irrational worries about imperfect setlists were soon put to rest. Even with many songs left to go tonight, Future’s setlist for this tour will not disappoint fans, diehards and late-to-the-party fans alike.
Check out more of our exclusive first photos from Future’s highly anticipated Purple Reign Tour below, and if you haven’t got your tickets and your city isn’t sold out, get tickets for Future’s remaining dates at Freebandz.com.
Earlier tonight Macklemore and Ryan Lewis brought their 2016 tour to The Rave in Milwaukee, WI. Closing the U.S. leg of their “An Evening with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis” tour, Macklemore rocked the sold-out Milwaukee crowd with a memorable performance. While we can’t speak for the previous tour dates, you wouldn’t have guessed that it has been two years since the ‘Thrift Shop’ rapper has been on tour. If you went into tonight thinking that it would just be a rapper going over some of his instrumentals with a DJ in the background, you couldn’t have been more wrong!
The night kicked off as rapper Xperience (XP) hit the stage to warm up the crowd. Although XP was not billed on the lineup, the emerging rapper has been touring with Macklemore and company throughout the tour, introducing himself to city after city. And tonight’s crowd received a great introduction to the rapper, and although Milwaukee wasn’t rapping along word-for-word with XP this time around, he certainly set the great tone for the night and picked himself up some new Midwest fans.
However of course, the man (or men in this case) of the hour was Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. For this tour, the majority of the songs performed were off Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ critically acclaimed 2012 album The Heist, but the Seattle rapper definitely made time to sprinkle in some new music. The crowd’s energy level were certainly at a climix during Macklemore’s performance of his 2015 single ‘Downtown’, which is expected on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ forthcoming LP This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, however ‘Growing Up’ and ‘White Privilege II’ were noticeably left out from the setlist. Although the latter may be because it’s a more political, less up-beat, and nine-minute song. However given the song’s recent popularity, and because it’s a great record, many fans would have loved to see a live performance.
In total, the performance was full of energy from start to finish. Contrasting from your average rap concert, Macklemore and company put a lot of production into the show, that looks like it was designed from an arena tour instead. All throughout the night Macklemore paid tribute to his Milwaukee fans, dubbing the crowd as the tour’s “best crowd yet”, and while this may be something he tells every crowd, because Milwaukee was the first show to completely sell out on the tour, he just may have meant it this time.
“An Evening with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis” isn’t your average show, in the same ways that Macklemore isn’t your average rapper and that Ryan Lewis isn’t your average producer. It’s almost impossible to pick one or two moments that stood out from tonight because the performance left fans consistently entertained throughout the night.
Check out our photos from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ Milwaukee tour stop below.
Last night singer Alessia Cara performed for a sold-out crowd at The Metro in Chicago. Despite canceling her tour performance the night below, as well as a couple radio appearances earlier in the day, Alessia fought off the loss of her voice and was able to still give a memorable performance. Still hitting all the notes that the ‘Here’ singer hits throughout her recordings, you could hardly tell that Cara lost her voice less than 24-hours before.
Opening the night for the Windy City crowd was rapper Leaf. One of the most entertaining female rapper/singers out there, Leaf kept the crowd entertained and definitely set the mood for the rest of the night. The new emerging queen of New York, Leaf is certainly an artist to watch in 2016.
Next up was singer Craig Stickland, a member of Alessia’s band but a man with a sound of his own. With his guitar in hand, and the screams of the crowd guiding him on, the highlight of Stickland’s set came when the sold-out crowdspontaneously brought out their cell phone lights to set the mood for one of Stickland’s slower records, a first on this tour Stickland told the crowd.
Following Stickland and Leaf was singer Kevin Garrett, a critical favorite when it comes to emerging artists in the new year. An indie pop musician out of Pittsburg, PA, Garrett performed a few tracks from his acclaimed 2015 EP, Mellow Drama, which was released in April of last year. Garrett’s electronic sounds and soothing vocals foreshadow Garrett’s eventual takeover of his share of the indie pop world.
After three great opening performances, the crowd could not wait for Alessia’s headlining set. You could tell that the standing room crowd was at the edge of their seat, so to speak of course, anxious about Alessia’s appearance for the night. The crowd was well aware that Cara was forced to cancel the night before, so when she finally hit the stage, Chicago felt more than lucky. And throughout the show, you could not have guessed that Cara’s beautiful voice wasn’t at it’s absolute best. Even at 90%, 95%, wherever she was last night, Cara’s vocals carried through The Metro like no other artist could. Throughout the night she performed some of her best records, off her 2014 Four Pink Walls EP and her debut album, Know-It-All, where the North American tour gets its name. Highlights of her set included her softer ballads, her energetic performance of ‘Seventeen’, and of course her performance of her #1 hit single, ‘Here’.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Check out our photos from Alessia Cara’s Know-It-All tour below.
Last night singer Vance Joy brought The Fire and Flood tour to Chicago for a second sold-out night at The Riviera Theatre. Accompanied by alternative LA/Austin based duo, Armstrong Leigh, and alt-rock’s Reuben and the Dark, Vance Joy and company gave their all for the Windy City crowd.
Opening the night was Armstrong Leigh, made up of singer Michelle Armstrong and guitarist Cristopher Leigh. Although this was the first time that much of the crowd was introduced to the talented duo, Amstrong Leigh definitely set a great tone for the rest of the night. The highlight of their set came when the duo performed their newest single, ‘Is This Love?’, which released earlier this year.
Next up for the night were Calgary, Alberta natives, Reuben and the Dark. Led by singer and guitarist Reuben Bullock, and supported by Shea Alain, Kaelen Ohm and Brock Geiger, RATD performed a set that was made up of a selection of there 2013 LP, Funeral Sky. Mixing in some new music throughout their performance, including their new single ‘Heart In Two’, Reuben had the girls screaming and the crowd entertained. If their live show is any indication of what the band has to offer the music world, don’t be surprised if Reuben and the Dark makes some major waves in the new year.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
To follow the awesome sets of Reuben and the Dark and Armstrong Leigh was the man of the night, Vance Joy. Hailing from the land down under, you could tell that the Australian native was excited to return to Chicago for his 2-night residency at The Riv. While Vance Joy performed for tens of thousands in Chicago earlier this year, opening for Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour, tonight’s crowd was all for Vance. The screams could be heard from the Aragon Ballroom blocks away, Vance’s voice carried beautifully through the venue, and the night couldn’t have gone better.
Performing a 15-song set list, Vance started the performance on a high note, yet the show managed to get better as his set went on. From the hit singles, to the B-sides, to the entertaining covers, Vance Joy’s set had everything we could have asked for. And closing the night with records like ‘Fire and the Flood’ (where the tour gets its name of course) and his uber-successful hit ‘Riptide’, there couldn’t have been a better way to close the show.
Check out our photos from Vance Joy’s The Fire and the Flood tour below.
Tonight rapper G-Eazy brought his When It’s Dark Out Tour to the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL. With a wild and crazy sell out crowd on hand, G-Eazy brought A$AP Ferg, Marc E. Bassy and more to the Windy City. While his 2014 and 2015 From The Bay To The Universe Tour was one of our favorites last year, G stepped up all aspects of his tour this time around. From its production value to the upgrades in venues, the When It’s Dark Out Tour is G-Eazy’s best yet, by far.
Opening the night was rapper Nef The Pharaoh, with singer Marc E. Bassy (formerly of 2AM Club) soon to follow. Nef and Marc both held their own, and while most fans were familiar with the two from their affiliation with G-Eazy, don’t be surprised if soon enough both artists are headlining tours of their own. Just last year, fans were introduced to the talents of Kehlani on G-Eazy’s last tour, and today Kehlani is a Grammy nominated artist and one of the top emerging singers in the R&B and rap worlds.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Next up was A$AP Ferg, the second biggest member of the A$AP Mob. While A$AP Rocky is still the face of the A$AP Mob, Ferg is no longer in the shadows of Rocky. In his set tonight alone, Chicago fans were reminded of the many Ferg hits that we have all bumped in the past couple years. And despite the great energy that A$AP Ferg brought to his set, the highlight of his performance came when he slowed things down to pay tribute to the late A$AP Yams.
Despite the talents of all of those before him, there was just one artist on the bill that gave reason to the huge sell out crowd, and that of course was none other than the Bay Area’s G-Eazy. As the screams began to amplify, G-Eazy emerged with his track ‘Random’ from his latest LP, the similarly titled, When It’s Dark Out. Kicking the night off with a number of records from his new album, things did not stop there. G-Eazy performed a 90-minute set, full of the new and the old, singles and B-sides, all-in-all something for everyone.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Show-by-show, tour-by-tour, G-Eazy’s fan base and following seems to grow exponentially. A rapper with a James Dean appeal, who spits personal lyrics that reach a variety of listeners. Like rappers do, G-Eazy will rap about fucking your bitch (a warning shot to any guy who brings his girlfriend to a G-Eazy concert), but with the next song G will break things down and give you a raw and emotional look into his darkest moments.
From the moment G got on stage until he said goodbye to the Chicago crowd after his memorable encore, the night’s energy never dropped off. And unless you’re at the after party with G-Eazy right now, it’s time to recover… after what was an amazing and wild performance.
Check out our photos from G-Eazy Chicago stop on his When It’s Dark Out Tour below.
Tonight Christmas came early for Milwaukee, Wisconsin as 103.7 KISS FM brought their annual “KISSmas Bash” to The Rave’s Eagles Ballroom. Following last year’s performance with rapper Wiz Khalifa, this year’s lineup rocked, and we mean that literally as All Time Low headlined the Bash with some amazing opening sets from American Authors and 3OH!3. With all three groups performing a collection of their biggest hits, with a few B-sides and covers sprinkled in, no fan left unhappy.
We must also say that the clothing choices by the bands were more than on point! 3OH!3’s Sean Foreman was rocking a killer Run The Jewels tee, with the rap duo’s classic logo, while All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth was hilariously sporting a One Direction cut off tee, which even had an “X” over former 1D member, Zayn Malik’s, face.
Check out our photos from the 103.7 KISS FM “KISSmas Bash” below!
Last night iHeartRadio and 103.5 KISS FM brought the Jingle Ball Tourto Chicago’s Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. With a sold out-crowd watching, some of the biggest names in music performed for the Windy City crowd on Wednesday night. Artists like Selena Gomez, Nick Jonas, 5 Seconds of Summer, Shawn Mendes, Tove Lo, Hailee Steinfeld, DNCE and (just to name a few) where there to give the packed arena a more than memorable show.
Fans did not waste any time showing up as ‘She’s Kinda Hot’ rockers, 5 Seconds of Summer kicked off the show. Soon after Chicago fans were treated to a beautiful performance from singer/songwriter Charlie Puth, who performed his Paul Walker dedicated track ‘See You Again’, as well as his Meghan Trainor collaboration, ‘Marvin Gaye’.
Next up was singer Conrad Sewell, still a new name to many, but who left a lot of concert goes impressed by his set. Known most for his single ‘Hold Me Up’, Conrad definitely held his own amongst the pop stars on the lineup. To up the energy though, Sewell was followed by newcomers DNCE, led by Joe Jonas. Out of all performances, no one met the fun energy that DNCE brought, especially during the highlight of their set when they performed their best known record, ‘Cake By The Ocean’.
Like Sewell, many may not have expected for R. City to put up one of the night’s best performances. Reminding everyone of their work with other artists, R. City told a moving story behind their Adam Levin-assisted single ‘Locked Away’, and in total put together an awesome set. Soon after R. City hopped off stage, singer Tove Lo put together a great performance of her own. While Tove Lo may be an indie artist on a pop lineup, her records have still dominated the radio, with the entire crowd knowing every word of Tove’s top tracks.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
The screams may have been the loudest last night when singer Shawn Mendes hit the stage. While the singer got his initial fame through the phone app Vine, with the monster success of his single ‘Stiches’ (which can still be heard everywhere), Mendes is well on his way to becoming a household name. In the past year alone, Mendes has performed in Chicago a handful of times, including an opening set for Taylor Swift on her 1989 World Tour at Soldier Field. Then to close his set, Mendes invited Fifth Harmony’s Camila Cebello to perform their new single, ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’.
Shawn Mendes wasn’t the only Taylor Swift-associated artist on the lineup though, as next up was singer Hailee Steinfeld. You may know her from her acting (True Grit, Pitch Perfect 2) or even her appearance in T-Swift’s music video for ‘Bad Blood’, but if you don’t know her yet by her singer, you definitely will soon. Steinfeld’s record ‘I Love Myself’ is one of the funnest singles of the second half of 2015, and while she is still new to the game, you wouldn’t guess it by her stage presence.
Following Steinfeld was Fifth Harmony, as Camila Cabello returned to the stage after her huge performance with Mendes. Although Cebello and Mendes make a great team, she makes an even better one with the rest of the Fifth Harmony girls, first made famous on The X Factor. Ever since forming years ago in 2012, Fifth Harmony has consistently put out some big singles.
With the night beginning to wrap up, the energy and talent did not drop off as Selena Gomez hit the stage. Opening her set, mixing some of her new singles with the old (‘Same Old Love’ and ‘Love You Like a Love Song’), Gomez’s set was extended when compared to some of those before her, and rightfully so. While some of music’s biggest emerging names kicked off the show, it was only right that a superstar like Gomez get some extra time with the sold-out crowd.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
To end the night was a headlining set from Nick Jonas. Providing a much different vibe than his brother Joe did earlier in the night, Jonas brought more than enough energy of his own, while reminding us of just how many hits he already has in his relatively young career as a solo artist. Performing a number of hits from his most recent album (his first in many years), including ‘Levels’ and ‘Chains’, Jonas certainly gave a memorable ending to the awesome night!
Check out our photos from the Jingle Ball last night in Chicago below, and if you’re anywhere near Florida, make sure you catch the tour on its last stops this week!
Last night iHeartRadio and 103.5 KISS FM brought the Jingle Ball Tourto Chicago’s Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. With a sold out-crowd watching, some of the biggest names in music performed for the Windy City crowd on Wednesday night. And before your favorite artists hit the stage, we caught them on the red carpet dressed to the nines. Nick Jonas, 5 Seconds of Summer, Shawn Mendes, Tove Lo, Hailee Steinfeld, DNCE and many more where there last night looking their best, so peep our red carpet photos and definitely stay tuned as we share more coverage and photos from last night’s performances real soon!
Check out our photos from the Jingle Ball red carpet last night in Chicago below, and if you’re anywhere near Florida, make sure you catch the tour on its last stops this week!
The Early Registration 