Y-100 Jingle Ball
December 10, 2011
Artists: Pitbull, David Guetta, Flo Rida, LMFAO, Kelly Clarkson, The Script, Avril Lavigne, Gym Class Heroes, Foster the People, Demi Lovato, Cody Simpson, Cobra Starship, Karmin
A large group of artists plus a large group of concert goers equals a perfect combination for a good time! Although Y-100 has been putting on their annual holiday Jingle Ball concert for years, this was my first one. The "top 40" genre has always been relegated to the music I enjoy dancing to at clubs with my girlfriends. I have rarely made it out to "top 40" concerts. Surprisingly, I have to say 2011 was the year of pop music! My favorite South Florida radio station has always been Big 105.9 classic rock. I recently found myself checking out what was on Y-100. More often than not, I would leave it on Y-100. I believe Rihanna and LMFAO had something to do with it. For anyone who saw me on Halloween you know I am a fan of LMFAO. For those of you who didn't, I dressed up as "Red Foo with the big ass fro." They were the big draw for me going to the Jingle Ball. I find them to be so much fun. I can't pretend they are the most talented men on the planet, but they get the people going and that is talent to me! I was not familiar with all of the artists performing at the Jingle Ball, but it didn't matter, it was a great show! I am going to review all the artists that performed that night and share my thoughts with you. This is a lengthy post as I wanted to address each artist.
We arrived at the show fashionably late and we missed Karmin and Demi Lovato. I have never heard of Karmin before and I only know Demi Lovato as a troubled teen whose been to rehab.
Foster the People were on stage when we got to our seats. We were able to catch the last two songs of their set. They finished with their huge hit 'Pumped up kicks.' The funny thing about live music is even a song you only mildly like becomes one of your favorites for just a few minutes. I belted out the lyrics, "All you other kids with the pumped up kicks, you better run better run, faster than my father." I'm not even sure those are the correct lyrics, but I sang them with pure confidence. My friend Courtney tells me this song is about a kid throwing a party and his father comes home and shoots all of the party guests. If this is true, you could never tell by its upbeat sound. This song has been featured in a lot of house music lately and Foster the People threw in some house beats to finish this song. The lead singer showed us some of his best dance moves and I was thoroughly impressed.
With so many performers in one night there was no time for breaks between sets. After some corny commentary from the Y-100 DJ's, on came Cody Simpson. I had never heard of him before the show and that may be because I am not a twelve year old girl. He looked no older than fifteen and it was difficult to hear what he was singing over the screaming squeels of the thousands of young girls in attendence. Wait, were we at a Justin Bieber concert by accident?
Then came the Gym Class Heroes. I knew two of their songs, 'I Want to be a Millionaire' and 'Stereo Love.' They are fun and enjoyable. They used Little River Band's 'Goodbye Stranger' and Michael McDonald's 'Keep Forgetting' as gap fillers between songs. This was very surprising to me. I'm sure most of the audience didn't even pick up on those songs. Either I'm aging or I am just extremely knowledgeable about music. I like to think it's the latter! I find happiness in discovering that someone else likes an obscure band that I do, like the Little River Band. Way to go Gym Class Heroes!
Next up: Cobra Starship. They have one song I know that I originally saw them perform on Dancing with the Stars. Yes I just admitted that I watch Dancing with the Stars. I see them as a one hit wonder, but only time can tell. They were another band that was fun, but nothing extraordinary.
A bathroom break and a large line at the beverage cart caused me to miss The Script. I have a few friends that would harass me for missing them because The Script is one of their favorites. To me, it was the perfect time to use the facilities. They just don't do anything for me.
One of my favorite performances of the night was by Avril Lavigne. Avril was popular when I was in my teens. I am not ashamed to say that I screamed all the words to 'Skater Boy' with a huge grin on my face. You might even hear my retched singing voice on the video I posted. I've said it a thousand times over, music is memories. Avril made me fifteen again for a few minutes and that is always appreciated. Avril even performed a one handed cartwheel. I bet that made her feel fifteen again too.
David Guetta is a new found friend. He is a French born house music producer and DJ. He meets one of my main qualifications of a performer: happiness. David is a happy performer, dancing and singing to his songs. He collaborates with some of the biggest names in pop and his sound is electric! I am very excited for the encore performance I will receive from him at the World Music Conference at the end of March. He only played a few songs and it was the perfect teaser of what's to come.
I never really knew what a fan of Kelly Clarkson I was. Her voice is phenomenal! She is also one of those artists that, as a woman, she makes me feel very womanly. I know that makes absolutely no sense. I am not a feminist by nature but every now and then a little female empowerment feels so right. Ladies, just think about Alanis Morrisette's 'You Outta Know' blasting in your car, you know what I mean. Kelly has that power too. Her 'Mister Know-it-all' and 'Because of You' make you want to have a boyfriend bonfire and dance in your underwear.
LMFAO are my guilty pleasure that I don't feel guilty about. As I mentioned previously, I was party rocking on Halloween. There is no shame in embracing leopard prints and neon. The eighties are back with a vengence baby! One half of the duo, Red Foo did not disappoint. The other half, Sky Blu had a back injury and had to miss the Jingle Ball. It honestly did not make a difference. I enjoy their music, but they are not musicians, but entertainers! They played all the hits, 'Party Rock,' 'Sexy and I Know It,' and 'Sorry for Party Rockin.' Who doesn't have a good time with rip off pants and giant blow up animals? They are human party favors and anyone who doesn't enjoy them must be stuffy and uptight! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yea!
There was a surprise guest: Flo Rida! I was happy to see him because I love his current hit 'Good Feeling.' At this point I think for most people this song is completely played out. I still love it because it samples Etta James' 1962 song, 'Something's Got a Hold on Me'. Etta James died on January 20, 2012 and that day we lost a music legend. She is one of my all time favorites and I think Flo Rida placed her perfectly in this song. I used to hate "recycled" songs. What I mean by that is the use of old songs in new music. My thought was that it was cheating somehow or unoriginal. I now feel bringing in samples of old songs or remaking it, is giving new life to old songs. Younger generations get to know Etta and older generations get to see her in a shiny new light. Long live one of the Queens of soul!
Mr. 305, better known as Mr. World wide was more than happy to be the finale! If you didn't understand that reference I am talking about the one and only Pitbull. He is a Miami native and quite the showman. His show consisted of nothing less than choreographed dance numbers, beautiful girls and pure swag. He performed hit after hit and it was a an absolute blast! My personal favorite is 'Tonight' that he performs with Neyo and his performance of that song was excellent.
I had a great night! If you are a South Florida resident, check out the Jingle Ball next year. The radio station Y-100 puts on this show every holiday season. It is not the most mind blowing music experience you'll ever have, but it is fun!
We arrived at the show fashionably late and we missed Karmin and Demi Lovato. I have never heard of Karmin before and I only know Demi Lovato as a troubled teen whose been to rehab.
Foster the People were on stage when we got to our seats. We were able to catch the last two songs of their set. They finished with their huge hit 'Pumped up kicks.' The funny thing about live music is even a song you only mildly like becomes one of your favorites for just a few minutes. I belted out the lyrics, "All you other kids with the pumped up kicks, you better run better run, faster than my father." I'm not even sure those are the correct lyrics, but I sang them with pure confidence. My friend Courtney tells me this song is about a kid throwing a party and his father comes home and shoots all of the party guests. If this is true, you could never tell by its upbeat sound. This song has been featured in a lot of house music lately and Foster the People threw in some house beats to finish this song. The lead singer showed us some of his best dance moves and I was thoroughly impressed.
With so many performers in one night there was no time for breaks between sets. After some corny commentary from the Y-100 DJ's, on came Cody Simpson. I had never heard of him before the show and that may be because I am not a twelve year old girl. He looked no older than fifteen and it was difficult to hear what he was singing over the screaming squeels of the thousands of young girls in attendence. Wait, were we at a Justin Bieber concert by accident?
Then came the Gym Class Heroes. I knew two of their songs, 'I Want to be a Millionaire' and 'Stereo Love.' They are fun and enjoyable. They used Little River Band's 'Goodbye Stranger' and Michael McDonald's 'Keep Forgetting' as gap fillers between songs. This was very surprising to me. I'm sure most of the audience didn't even pick up on those songs. Either I'm aging or I am just extremely knowledgeable about music. I like to think it's the latter! I find happiness in discovering that someone else likes an obscure band that I do, like the Little River Band. Way to go Gym Class Heroes!
Next up: Cobra Starship. They have one song I know that I originally saw them perform on Dancing with the Stars. Yes I just admitted that I watch Dancing with the Stars. I see them as a one hit wonder, but only time can tell. They were another band that was fun, but nothing extraordinary.
A bathroom break and a large line at the beverage cart caused me to miss The Script. I have a few friends that would harass me for missing them because The Script is one of their favorites. To me, it was the perfect time to use the facilities. They just don't do anything for me.
One of my favorite performances of the night was by Avril Lavigne. Avril was popular when I was in my teens. I am not ashamed to say that I screamed all the words to 'Skater Boy' with a huge grin on my face. You might even hear my retched singing voice on the video I posted. I've said it a thousand times over, music is memories. Avril made me fifteen again for a few minutes and that is always appreciated. Avril even performed a one handed cartwheel. I bet that made her feel fifteen again too.
David Guetta is a new found friend. He is a French born house music producer and DJ. He meets one of my main qualifications of a performer: happiness. David is a happy performer, dancing and singing to his songs. He collaborates with some of the biggest names in pop and his sound is electric! I am very excited for the encore performance I will receive from him at the World Music Conference at the end of March. He only played a few songs and it was the perfect teaser of what's to come.
I never really knew what a fan of Kelly Clarkson I was. Her voice is phenomenal! She is also one of those artists that, as a woman, she makes me feel very womanly. I know that makes absolutely no sense. I am not a feminist by nature but every now and then a little female empowerment feels so right. Ladies, just think about Alanis Morrisette's 'You Outta Know' blasting in your car, you know what I mean. Kelly has that power too. Her 'Mister Know-it-all' and 'Because of You' make you want to have a boyfriend bonfire and dance in your underwear.
LMFAO are my guilty pleasure that I don't feel guilty about. As I mentioned previously, I was party rocking on Halloween. There is no shame in embracing leopard prints and neon. The eighties are back with a vengence baby! One half of the duo, Red Foo did not disappoint. The other half, Sky Blu had a back injury and had to miss the Jingle Ball. It honestly did not make a difference. I enjoy their music, but they are not musicians, but entertainers! They played all the hits, 'Party Rock,' 'Sexy and I Know It,' and 'Sorry for Party Rockin.' Who doesn't have a good time with rip off pants and giant blow up animals? They are human party favors and anyone who doesn't enjoy them must be stuffy and uptight! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yea!
There was a surprise guest: Flo Rida! I was happy to see him because I love his current hit 'Good Feeling.' At this point I think for most people this song is completely played out. I still love it because it samples Etta James' 1962 song, 'Something's Got a Hold on Me'. Etta James died on January 20, 2012 and that day we lost a music legend. She is one of my all time favorites and I think Flo Rida placed her perfectly in this song. I used to hate "recycled" songs. What I mean by that is the use of old songs in new music. My thought was that it was cheating somehow or unoriginal. I now feel bringing in samples of old songs or remaking it, is giving new life to old songs. Younger generations get to know Etta and older generations get to see her in a shiny new light. Long live one of the Queens of soul!
Mr. 305, better known as Mr. World wide was more than happy to be the finale! If you didn't understand that reference I am talking about the one and only Pitbull. He is a Miami native and quite the showman. His show consisted of nothing less than choreographed dance numbers, beautiful girls and pure swag. He performed hit after hit and it was a an absolute blast! My personal favorite is 'Tonight' that he performs with Neyo and his performance of that song was excellent.
I had a great night! If you are a South Florida resident, check out the Jingle Ball next year. The radio station Y-100 puts on this show every holiday season. It is not the most mind blowing music experience you'll ever have, but it is fun!
