B96‘s Pepsi Jingle Bash is less than a couple weeks away and we can’t wait! With highly anticipated performances from Taylor Swift, the Backstreet Boys, Khalid, Logic, Fifth Harmony and Sabrina Carpenter, Chicago’s Allstate Arena in Rosement is the place to be in December. The monumental night will take place on Thursday, December 7th and it couldn’t come sooner.
Hit the jump and check out our list of the 10 songs that we need to hear at this year’s Jingle Bash, and while only single seats remain, you can get your tickets now at Ticketmaster!
Last night Halsey sold-out Chicago’s Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL, marking another memorable visit for the emerging star. With performances of some of her biggest hits and fan favorites, we captured some of our favorite moments from the entire night (read our full review here).
Check out our photos from last night’s performance below and peep the remaining tour dates here.
It was a good night in Chicago, as Halsey brought her headlining hopeless fountain kingdom tour with the talented PartyNextDoor and Charli XCX, to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL last night. Selling out the 18,500-capacity venue and touring the country with two of her favorite artists, after performing for a Chicago crowd of 1,000 at The Vic just a couple years ago, Halsey’s growth and success has increased exponentially since she released her debut album, Badlands, in 2015.
But to say that last night was all about the headliner would be an understatement, as Halsey was in good company from the moment the show started to the time curtains dropped for her headlining set. Charli XCX got the night started with a half hour of her biggest singles to date, including ‘Boom Clap’ and ‘I Love It’. XCX surprised her Chicago fans during her Lollapalooza performance this past summer, as she brought out Halsey during her set, so it was only right that the two join forces for Halsey’s biggest tour of her career.
After Charli XCX got the party started, it was time for the party next door, literally. While PartyNextDoor may not share as similar of a fan base as Halsey and Charli XCX, Halsey could not have picked a more talented artist to join her tour. Signed to Drake’s OVO Sound, PND has penned tracks for Rihanna, Beyonce, Usher, DJ Khaled, Drake and many more. And even with mega-hits on his resume, Party still saves some of his best tracks for his solo work. With his critically acclaimed self-titled projects (most recently 2016’s PartyNextDoor 3), Party has built a strong fan base with his exceptional lyrics and talented vocals.
PARTYNEXTDOOR performs at the AllState Arena for the hfk tour (Photo by Dan Garcia)
And all his talent was on display tonight, as PartyNextDoor delivered a roughly 10-track set. But instead of taking credits from some of your favorite artist’s hit singles, PND left his writing credits at the door and won the crowd over with his voice and performance skills rather than name dropping his collaborators. Party wowed the crowd with performances of ‘Recognize’, ‘Persian Rugs’, ‘Sex On The Beach’ and many more.
The road PartyNextDoor taking might not be the shortest one, but once he fully gets to his destination, he will be a star. While he wins crowds over, arena-after-arena and song-after-song, expect the Canadian singer-songwriter to continue to show the world that he is one of music’s most underrated rising stars.
Of course, last but not least it was time for Halsey to greet her Windy City fans. Each time the ‘Bad at Love’ singer visits Chicago she debuts a new hairstyle and showcases her growth as a performer. From supporting Imagine Dragons at the United Center, to Lollapalooza performances, to performing for a crowd of 1,000 at The Vic, last night was the cherry on top of Halsey’s memorable visits to Chicago. Early in the show Halsey confessed her love for Chi-town, and dubbed the show the loudest of the entire tour, while noting that she wasn’t just one of those artists that lies and tells that to every city. And given the relationship Halsey has had with the city in the past few years, we have zero reason to doubt her.
Throughout the night, Halsey performed the majority of tracks from her second studio, hopeless fountain kingdom, where the tour get its name. Not only did Halsey choose a setlist that differed from the previous stops on the tour, Halsey catered her set to the true fans that filled the arena and not just the casual fan. Although she played her mega-hit and Chainsmokers collaboration ‘Closer’, even Halsey had to admit that it was annoying how overplayed the track was on the radio. It’s rare that an artist is so relatable and funny, while also taking a jab at themselves, but it worked. Having said that, her stripped down performance of ‘Closer’ was one of the highlights of the entire night.
As Halsey performed everything from the new to the old and the hits and the B-side, she took control of the arena and proved that no stage is too big for the emerging star. And with a visit to the B-stage and even a trek through the audience to give hugs and take selfies, everyone in attendance was in a good position to have a great night. If you didn’t get your tickets in time for Halsey’s sold-out show, you certainly missed out, but history would suggest that Halsey will be back in Chicago in less than a year’s time.
Check out the remaining dates of the hfk tourhere.
Irish singer/songwriter Niall Horan brought his Flicker Sessions Tour with Gavin James to Chicago’s Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, IL tonight. Performing for a packed sold-out crowd, tonight marked Niall’s first solo performance in the city that lasted more than just a couple songs, as the former One Direction standout is just a few weeks removed the release of his debut LP, Flicker. Horan delivered a full set and a memorable night for his Windy City fans.
Up first for the night was another emerging Irish singer/songwriter, Gavin James, who released his debut studio album, Bitter Pill, a little over a year ago. Performing for around a half-hour, with a set that included a number of songs from his debut LP, including ‘Nervous’ )which is his most successful single to date) and his new track ‘Hearts On Fire’, Gavin James set the mood for the rest of the night while picking up a plethora of new fans along the way. And with co-signs from Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and now Niall Horan, James is in great position to bring his success abroad to the states and throughout the world.
But after a brief intermission it was time for the man of the night to greet the sold-out crowd. Opening with his album’s closing track, ‘The Tide’, Horan was met with waves of screams and applause as he emerged. Horan then quickly transitioned into his Maren Morris-collaboration, ‘Seeing Blind’, a track that the two recently performed live for the Country Music Awards. But even without the assistance of country music star, Niall did his track justice on his own.
Then before performing his debut single, ‘This Town’, Niall took time to greet his Chicago fans. While it wasn’t planned, Niall dubbed this first leg of the tour his “Thank You Tour”, thanking fans for making his debut album Flicker the number one album. He also took time to note that the Rosemont Theatre was the first Chicago venue that Niall performed at from his time with One Direction. It was only right that Horan returned to the beautiful theater for his first solo tour.
Throughout the night Horan dazzled the crowd with cuts from his debut LP. With performances of tracks like ‘Too Much To Ask’ and of course his memorable performance of ‘Slow Hands’, Horan closed out his 13-song set with his record, ‘On My Own’. While the song speaks to his love life more than it does his time with One Direction, the track’s title reminds of us of just how quickly Niall has amassed so much success in his young and growing career as a solo artist. Horan continues impress fans and the music world alike.
And if you liked what you saw tonight, or missed out on tickets this time around, Horan is returning to Chicago next year, as he brings the new leg of his headlining tour to the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on July 26th with Maren Morris.
Check out our photos from tonight’s performance below and peep the remaining tour dates here.
Sir Elton John blessed a sold-out crowd in Moline, IL at the TaxSlayer Center (formerly the iWireless Center) tonight, performing an over 2-hour set that covered his decades of hits and fan favorites.
With performances of ‘Bennie and the Jets’, ‘Daniel’, ‘Rocket Man’, ‘Tiny Dancer’, ‘The Bitch Is Back’, Candle in the Wind’ and many more, fans from Moline, Chicago, Davenport and throughout Illinois and Iowa left the concert with a night that they won’t soon forget. The 70-year-old icon hasn’t lost a step in his many decades of performing, and Sir Elton will rival anyone when it comes to the keys, and fans at the TaxSlayer Center were witness to just that.
Check out our photos from tonight’s performance below and see the remaining tour dates here.
After a couple of October performances, a memorable headlining set at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans and three postponed dates throughout the country, the Foo Fighters picked things up where they left off in Madison, WI tonight, as the Seattle rockers brought their Concrete & Gold Tour to a sold-out Wisconsin crowd at the Kohl Center.
Performing for nearly three hours, with a setlist that covered the band’s new LP and their catalog of hits and B-sides, Dave Grohl and company did not disappoint, delivering a memorable night that Madison won’t soon forget. You can easily bet that many in attendance tonight will be glued to their computers this Friday (10 AM), to grab tickets to the band’s Wrigley Field performance this summer, because even 3-hours of the Foo Fighters will leave you wanting more.
Check out our photos from tonight’s performance below and peep the remaining tour dates here.
Chicago’s Fake Shore Drive celebrated 10 years of helping break some of the biggest names in Chicago music last night with it’s huge anniversary concert at the Portage Theater, for part of Red Bull Sound Select‘s “30 Days In Chicago” series. And what better way to celebrate than boasting performances from some of the best rappers Chicago has to offer, and a huge reunion performance from the legendary hip-hop duo, the Big Tymers.
With a price of admission of only $15, Fake Shore Drive and Red Bull Sound Select gave fans their money’s worth just moments after doors opened, as the night was kicked off with performances and appearances from The Cool Kids, Twista, GLC, King Louie, G Herbo and many more.
But although Chicago kicked off the night, it was Detroit and Cash Money Records which brought the memorable evening to a close. ‘First Day Out’ rapper Tee Grizzley put on a great performance, bringing Detroit to the Windy City and setting the stage for Birdman and Mannie Fresh to put on an unforgettable show, and one of their rare and only performances in the past decade, rapping some Big Tymers classics like ‘Still Fly’, ‘Get Your Roll On’ and more.
Check out our photos from last night’s performance below.
Macklemore returned to The Rave’s Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee tonight for another sold-out performance, after a memorable 2016 performance with Ryan Lewis, in the very same room. And while Macklemore was without his partner-in-crime this time around, as the duo of “Macklemore and Ryan Lewis” are currently on hiatus while the close friends take some time musically apart, Macklemore still brought the same fun energy in support of his new solo LP, Gemini.
Up first for the evening were opening sets from XP, Eric Nally and Travis Thompson, emerging artists that you can all find featured on Gemini. Not only did the cast of openers gain new fans with their opening performances, but all of the above would later join Macklemore on stage to perform their Gemini collaborations, ‘Church’, ‘Corner Store’ and ‘Ain’t Gonna Die Tonight’. Gemini also boasts features from artists like Kesha, Offset, Skylar Grey and Lil Yachty, but having some of the album’s featured artists, big or small, definitely was a nice bonus to the night.
But despite entertaining performances from XP, Nally and Thompson, the anticipation continued to build as it was time for the man of the hour to hit the stage. And to kick off his performance in support of his new album, Macklemore opened his set with Gemini‘s opening track, the Eric Nally-assisted ‘Ain’t Gonna Die Tonight’. Macklemore continued with two more tracks from the 2017 LP, his first solo album since 2005, before really getting the crowd going with his 2012 mega-hit, ‘Thrift Shop’.
The above sequence set the tone for the entire night as Macklemore performed the vast majority of his new album, while still taking time to pay homage to his catalog of hits with Ryan Lewis with performances of ‘White Walls’, ‘Thrift Shop’, ‘Downtown’ and ‘Same Love’. Then, to end the glorious night and close out his 17-song setlist, Macklemore gave fans a great encore performance of his Gemini single, ‘Glorious’. Fans already can’t wait for Macklemore’s next Milwaukee visit, no matter who he brings with him.
Check out our photos from tonight’s performance below and peep the remaining tour dates here.
It’s starting to get cold in the Windy City but the live music scene is getting hotter than ever. We’re months removed from the summer festival season, but Chi-town is bringing some of the biggest artists in the world to the city for some amazing shows.
From Red Bull Sound Select’s “30 Days In Chicago” series, with concerts from Migos, Lil Yachty, 6LACK and the big reunion of the Big Tymers (to name a few), to some big headlining arena shows from The Weeknd, Halsey, Guns N Roses and more, Chicago (and the surrounding areas) are delivering some of the best concerts of the year in November.
Check out our list of the 12 can’t miss concerts in Chicago this month!
Katy Perry and Noah Cyrus invaded the United Center last night, as Perry brought her headlining tour, dubbed Witness: The Tour, to the historic United Center. With elaborate set designs, a huge eye-shaped video board and a number of entertaining costume changes, Witness: The Tour is something you have to see to believe, and we captured some memorable shots of night one (of two) of Perry’s Chicago stop on the tour.
Check out our photos from last night’s performance below and read our full review here.
The Early Registration 