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.
Moments ago, Katy Perry closed things out after her and supporting act, Noah Cyrus, delivered a memorable night one for Witness: The Tour‘s mini two-night Chicago residency at the historic United Center.
There exists a fine line between a concert and a performance, but tonight was undoubtedly a performance as Katy Perry brought an amazing spectacle full of platinum and diamond hits, five entertaining costume changes, fireworks, lights and an elaborate set design that fans will never forget. And with support from emerging pop star, Noah Cyrus, fans were in for a treat from the very beginning.
Up first for the night was the diversely talented 17-year-old singer/actress, Noah Cyrus. If you couldn’t guess by the name, Noah is the younger sister to Miley Cyrus and the daughter of country legend, Billy Ray Cyrus. But just as Miley made her own name for herself, stepping out of her father’s shadow, Noah is quickly doing the same.
Not only is Cyrus making her arena tour debut, but the Nashville native has already celebrated her first platinum-certified single with ‘Make Me (Cry)’, her music video for ‘Stay Together’ has already amassed over 50 million views on YouTube, and she is only months away from the release of her anticipated debut album, NC-17.
While Cyrus put together one of our favorite performances from B96′s Summer Bash concert, just months ago and only a few miles away, her live performance clearly improves with a supporting performance, when compared to a radio gig. Performing seven songs, just under a half hour, Cyrus previewed a number of tracks from her forthcoming debut LP and gave a memorable performance of Selena Gomez’s ‘It Ain’t Me’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Million Reasons’, a performance which earned her a big co-sign from Gaga weeks ago. And when Lady Gaga comments on your bright future, and your cover “warms her heart”, you must be doing something right.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Personal highlights of Cyrus’ set came at the beginning and end, as Noah opened with her fun and addictive single ‘Stay Together’ and closed with her Labyrinth-assisted hit, ‘Make Me (Cry)’, two tracks which are night and day in their feel but together help show the range of content that young Cyrus can sing about. Although Noah Cyrus’ supporting performance won’t quite compare to Perry’s, with the experience and monumental production that Katy Perry brings to the table, Cyrus still gave fans a million reasons to get to the arena early and to catch an inevitable headlining tour that will come through in the relative future.
With the mood set from Noah Cyrus’ supporting set, it was time for Katy Perry to great her Chicago fans. Opening with the title track from her new album, Witness, Perry’s 4th major label album and where the tour also get its name, Perry submerged from the sky on a giant star, in the biggest Katy Perry-fashion imaginable. But that was only the beginning as a number of props, wildly dressed backup dancers, giant puppets and expensive production elements would complement her throughout the hour and 45-minute performance.
For Perry’s second song of the night, ‘Roulette’, the Santa Barbara-native sang atop two huge dice and confetti began to fall from the sky. Although tonight’s performance was dominated by the biggest single’s of Perry career, which mostly precede her new album, it was the fun and eye catching production of the tour that made Perry’s performances from her newest LP (which she performed just over half of), not only bearable but equally entertaining.
For Katy Perry’s Witness single ‘Swish Swish’, Perry performed an extended 10-minute version of the track and took time to pick out a dad from the crowd for a little shootout. Their may not be a bust of the dad displayed next to Michael Jordan at the UC’s stadium for all to see, but in that moment he was the coolest dad on the planet.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
A personal highlight of Perry’s set came midway as the infamous Left Shark, from Perry’s 2015 Super Bowl performance, blessed the stage to bust out it’s perfectly imperfect dance moves at the end of the catwalk, as Perry performed her track ‘California Gurls’. Left Shark remained on stage as Katy Perry used a huge telephone to make a call home to mom, which actually may have been real. That sequence paved the way right into Perry’s breakout track, ‘I Kissed A Girl’, where KP was hoisted onto a huge set of red lips.
To cap things off, Perry closed her set with her 2013 hit, ‘Roar’, a track which reminded us of the huge voice behind all the glitter and glam. But the night wasn’t quite over, as Perry returned to the stage atop of a huge hand, to perform her Teenage Dream record, ‘Firework’, complete with confetti, applause, and real actual fireworks.
Tonight’s performance was wacky and fun and everything you needed on a Tuesday night. Perry does anything but mail-it-in when it comes to her tours, so much so, that you wonder how she even turns a profit with all the production and theatrics that her tours offer. If you wanted entertainment, you got it. If you wanted the hits, she brought them. If you wanted cuts from the new album, you got that to. And even if you wanted a raw display of Perry’s vocals, she gave you some of that as well. Tonight was nothing short of a spectacle, and we say that in the best way possible. Perry brings so much to her tour, but most importantly, not at the expense of anything else.
If you missed out tonight, you’re in luck, because Katy Perry and Noah Cyrus return to the United Center tomorrow night.
Don’t think just that summer is over that great live music also has to end. As the festivals wrap up and the leaves fall in the Windy City, the concerts move indoors to some of the best venues and arenas in Chicago. And October especially is a great month to catch a concert or two in Chicago, with stars and legends like Katy Perry and Janet Jackson set to visit and artists like Hoodie Allen, Jon Bellion and the A$AP Mob scheduled to tear up the stage with headlining shows of their own.
Check out our list of the 9 can’t miss concerts in Chicago this month!
Last night Kygo closed out the party at the annual B96 Pepsi Summer Bash at a packed Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL, just minutes outside of Chicago.
With showstopping performances from some of the biggest names in music, the Windy City crowd was treated to sets from pop stars like Hailee Stenfeld, Camila Cabello and Noah Cyrus, electronic superstars Zedd and Kygo, the always entertaining Jason Derulo, half of One Direction and the newly solo Niall Horan and Liam Payne, and more! From start to finish, the B96 Pepsi Summer Bash absolutely delivered for yet another yet.
Up first for the night, electronic trio Cheat Codes kicked off the party in Rosemont. The energetic trio made themselves a very tough act to follow for the rest of the night. As the Los Angeles natives performed their Demi Lovato collaboration, ‘No Promises’, the B96 listeners knew that last night would be a show full of some of pop radio’s biggest tracks.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Next up, singer Dua Lipa greeted the Chicago crowd. Fresh off her big performance at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Dua Lipa performed her biggest tracks from the past year, including ‘Blow Your Mind’ and her Sean Paul collab, ‘No Lie’.’
With little time between sets to keep the momentum going, Noah Cyrus came to the stage. The little sister of Miley Cyrus, Noah Cyrus showed the Summer Bash that she is her own artist with performances from her debut LP, NC-17, including her single ‘Make Me (Cry)’ and a cover of The Weeknd’s hit single, ‘I Feel It Coming’. She may not come with as much controversy as her big sis, but she brings just as much personality to the table.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Following Cyrus’ set, it was time for the lovely and diversely talented singer/actress, Hailee Steinfeld, to return for another B96 performance. You either know her for her movies like “The Edge of Seventeen” and “True Grit” or her pop radio favorites like ‘Love Myself’ and ‘Starting’, or all of the above. The highlight of Steinfeld’s set though, came with the performance of her new and empowering anthem for women everywhere, ‘Most Girl’.
For the next three acts, the night was dedicated to the newly solo artists who used to lead some of the biggest pop music groups, with One Direction’s Liam Payne and Niall Horan, and the Fifth Harmony stand-out, Camila Cabello. All of the three were contestants of the X-Factor, before being formed into the groups that rose them into the stars that they are today. However, all are now enjoying their new solo careers, writing music that speaks to themselves as individuals. From Liam’s ‘Strip That Down’ to Niall’s ‘Slow Hands’ and of course Camila’s ‘Crying In The Club’, these performances were some of the best of the entire night.
Next, it was time for some more dancing as EDM superstar Zedd came to the stage. Known in part for some of his big pop collabs, like ‘Starving’ with fellow Summer Bash artist Hailee Steinfeld and ‘Stay’ with Alessia Cara, Zedd knew how to keep the party going in Chicago.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Following Zedd’s memorable set, it was time for one of the night’s big headliners, Jason Derulo. Whether it was his impressive dancing or the sheer volume of hits that the singer has to perform, there was much to enjoy from Derulo’s set. Perhaps the most underrated performer in pop music today, Jason Derulo has been a staple in pop music for the past decade, and with recent hits like ‘Swalla’ and ‘Get Ugly’, Derulo isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Last but not least, another huge DJ blessed the Summer Bash stage, this time Norwegian house artist, Kygo. One of the biggest highlights of the entire night, the crowd went crazy as Kygo helped close out the Summer Bash with his massive Selena Gomez collaboration, ‘It Ain’t Me’.
From some of the world’s best DJs to the biggest names in pop music, new and old, the B96 Pepsi Summer Bash continued to kick off the summer by bringing a plethora of talent and entertainment to the Windy City.
Check out our photos from the 2017 B96 Pepsi Summer Bash below.
With several artists to still be announced, the iHeartRadio Music Festival has announced its initial performers for the festival’s Daytime Village, presented by Capital One. Warming up fans for the main event, the Daytime Village will feature live performances from popular and emerging artists across many different genres, until the main stage performers are ready to hit the stage at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on September 22nd and 23rd.
Of the initial round of artists announced for the Daytime Village are All Time Low, Kelsea Ballerini, French Montana, Flume, Noah Cyrus, Hey Violet and Judah & The Lion. Tickets for the Daytime Village are on sale now, and start at $39 plus taxes and fees. Fans can visit the Daytime Village’s official website for tickets and more information.
And be sure to stay tuned, as iHeartRadio has still yet to announce its iHeartRadio Music Festival lineup.
Earlier this morning iHeartRadio announced its huge lineup of performers for 2017’s iHeartRadio Music Awards. Performing at the award show this year will be some of the biggest names in music, including Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, The Chainsmokers, and more. For the fourth straight year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards will feature today’s biggest artists and some very special live performances. If you’re at Los Angeles’ historic Forum on March 5th, you’ll be in store for first-time duets and collaborations, celebrity guest appearances and more!
And while you can catch the awards on TBS on March 5th, 8PM ET, you can upgrade your experience and catch the awards live and in person. Get your tickets now, before they are all gone, at Ticketmaster.com.
Peep the performers for the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards below.
The Early Registration 