BY TER STAFF

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.

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 tour here.