If you haven’t heard, Chicago’s B96 has released its lineup for its annual, B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash, and this just may be the best one yet. With a huge and diverse lineup up of legends and emerging artists alike, coming to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL on Saturday, December 10th will be Britney Spears, The Chainsmokers, Fifth Harmony, Shawn Mendes, G-Eazy, DNCE, OneRepublic and Alessia Cara.
This one has something for everyone, so get your tickets now before they are all gone. The Jingle Bash is definitely a can’t miss show in 2016.
Minutes ago, singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes stepped off stage at opening night of the Wisconsin State Fair, after bringing his World Tour to Milwaukee, his biggest headlining show to date. Performing at the fair’s Main Stage, Mendes was also joined by Island Records labelmate, 18-year-old British singer, James TW. Both young singers delivered memorable and polished performances for their Wisconsin fans, that were far from amateur, showing that both Mendes and James TW are especially talented and experienced beyond their years.
As fans continued to fill in past 7:30, James TW kicked things off for the Milwaukee crowd. Not only did James set the tone for the rest of the night, but it is hard to imagine a better opening act for the night’s headliner. Shawn Mendes and James TW share more than just their label. Both teenage artists have big voices and similar styles, who each standout with their impressive songwriting, all while finding home behind an acoustic guitar.
And although, James is just barely old enough to vote (by American standards), he is no stranger to music. Named after his parents’ favorite musician, James Taylor, James TW first picked up a guitar at the age of 12, and he hasn’t looked back since. He draws influences from Ed Sheeran, John Mayer and BB King, he also plays the piano, he places a strong emphasis on the lyrics of his records, and these are just a few of the things that add clarity as to why one of Island Record’s youngest artists seems far ahead of the game. James gained a number of new fans in Milwaukee tonight, with his performance of his single ‘When You Love Someone’ and a few other records from his debut EP, First Impressions, which released earlier this year.
Moments after James TW said his goodbyes to fans, it was time for the night’s headliner, Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes. Even younger than James TW, Shawn Mendes can barely see a Rated-R movie, yet it seems like he has been a staple in pop music for quite sometime already. Initially Mendes gained a core fan base from the mobile phone application, Vine. However while many artists and personalities, become and remain “Vine famous” and never see a social reach outside the app, such was not the case for Mendes. After landing a deal with Island, Mendes released his breakout single ‘Stitches’ which soared to the Top 10 in the U.S. and Canada. An EP, debut album and huge supporting tour with Taylor Swift later, Mendes has a number of radio hits under his belt and is one of the most exciting acts in pop music today, with no signs of slowing down.
Mendes’ set tonight was everything that his fans wanted. His performance of course consisted of all his biggest records to date, including ‘Life of the Party’, ‘Ordinary’, his newest single ‘Treat You Better’, and even some fan favorite and lesser known records from his debut album, Handwritten. The highlight of the night though came as rain and lighting almost cut the show short. Near the end of his set, the weather caused a power outage on stage, luckily for fans however, production was able to get things back running for one last song, Shawn’s biggest record to date, ‘Stitches’.
Throughout the night you had to remind yourself that Mendes is still just a kid by many standards, because it doesn’t show. He has a big voice, he stands at about 6′ tall, and his performances are anything but amateur. Pop Music will certainly have a place for Shawn Mendes for many years to come.
Check out our photos from tonight’s performance below and see the remaining dates on Shawn Mendes’ World Tour here with support from James TW through August 21st.
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!
Last night B96 and Pepsi brought a star lineup to Chicago’s Allstate Arena in Rosement, IL with their Jingle Bash. Likely the warmest Jingle Bash on record, Chicago fans stayed warm while seeing a cast of great sets from Demi Lovato, 5 Seconds of Summer, Shawn Mendes, Omi, Pentatonix, Hailee Steinfeld and Jason Derulo. The holiday show had something for everyone, and no matter who you were there for, with such a stacked lineup, nearly every song performed last night in Rosemont was a hit.
5 Seconds of Summer kicked things off, performing some of their fan favorites like ‘What I Like About You’ and ‘She’s Kinda Hot’. Despite opening the Bash, the crowd was already filled up by the time 5SOS hit the stage and the screams could be heard from across the street. Following 5 Seconds of Summer were Omi and Hailee Steinfeld to perform their hit singles ‘Cheerleader’ and ‘I Love Myself’, among others. Next up was ‘Stiches’ signer Shawn Mendes and Pentatonix, arguably the biggest acapella group in the world. Both provided something different to the lineup, yet each similarly gave the crowd their money’s worth.
Finally to close the night were hour-long sets from Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato. Despite their extended headlining sets, with such talent from the singers, they performed hit record after hit record throughout the night. While the veterans and newcomers alike gave their all into their performances, the highlights of the night came from Derulo and Lovato’s energetic performances. Let’s hope next year’s Jingle Bash is both as warm and as great as it was in 2015.
Check out our photos from the B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash below.
iHeartRadio and 103.5 Kiss FM‘s “Jingle Ball” is only a couple weeks away but we are already excited! With performances from Selena Gomez, Nick Jonas, 5 Seconds of Summer, Tove Lo, Shawn Mendes, 5th Harmony, Hailee Steinfeld, DNCE and many more, Chicago’s Allstate Arena in Rosement is the place to be next month. The stacked lineup will take place on Wednesday, December 16th and even if you aren’t in the Chicago area, there is a good chance that iHeartRadio is bringing one of their Jingle Balls to a city near you.
Hit the jump and check out our list of the 10 songs that we need to hear at this year’s Jingle Ball, and if you haven’t yet, get your tickets now while you still can!
Taylor Swift’s marquee and household name is the reason she sold-out back-to-back nights at Chicago’s Soldier Field, the biggest venue in Chicago. Talented opening acts, amazing costumes, beautiful light shows, pyrotechnics, and surprise guests aside, the 1989 World Tour is successful (from a numbers standpoint) because of who T-Swift is as a pop star. But all that extra stuff, the things that make her concerts memorable and well after the tickets are long gone, those are the things that make her live performance special, which ensure that those same fans that went through the gates tonight are the ones that will sit on their computer while they await for the next tour’s tickets to go on-sale. The only problem? As word-of-mouth spreads and fans who are ready to see Taylor for their second, third, or fourth time are joined by those who heard of Swift’s epic performances from a friend and want to see first hand, there won’t be enough room and Soldier Field may need to prepare to book a third night for the next time Swift comes to the Windy City. Having just experienced my first Taylor Swift concert, I am certain that it won’t be my last, as the ‘Bad Blood’ singer puts on a tour that matches her massive record sales, wide influence, and her elite status as a modern pop icon.
The Early Registration 