Pandora Presents a free show with Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora, and Magic! in Los Angeles, CA

Pandora Presents: Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora and Magic!

August 9, 2014

Santa Monica Pier- Los Angeles, CA

If you weren’t standing on the Santa Monica pier the evening of Aug. 9, 2014, then my Saturday night definitely topped your Saturday night. Pandora Presents put on thee most wanted concert of this summer’s Pandora Presents music series. Rita Ora and Magic! opening for Iggy Azalea made for one incredibly solid line up. It’s not surprising tickets for this FREE event disappeared within minutes. What’s cool is that Pandora extended invitations to loyal Pandora listeners. Nicely done Pandora!

The night began with Magic!, literally. By the nice sized crowd forming at the barricade, it was obviously to me that I was not the only one curious to see what other songs Magic! had to offer. They played a very nice and chill set. These Canadian boys were very gracious and humbled to be considered one of the notable breakthrough artists this past year. Before playing their last song which also happened to be the radio hit that put them on the map, they thanked their fans and Pandora for making it possible for them to be playing at this event. The crowd responded with cheers but that was quickly replaced with singing and people pulling out cell phones to record as the band went into the song Rude. I think every single person in the audience sang the lyrics at some point during the performance.

Next up was the lovely Rita Ora. She is a firecracker to boot! This woman opened up her set with a bang. The sun had set at this point and the stage lights were in full effect, only adding to the glam of her performance. She walked out on stage with a completely lit up backdrop. Imagine a larger than life Andy Worhol-esque light display of her face that changes images- very cool. Her performance did not disappoint. She has an amazing powerhouse voice and moves that don’t quit. It’s no wonder that Azalea and Ora teamed up. I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t as familiar with this London pop star as I should’ve been and only became more aware after Black Widow made it big. I will definitely be paying more attention to this artist.

How to sum up Iggy Azalea… she is not to be trifled with. She is as legit as they come. Watching her performance was a game changer for me. There is no doubt in my mind just how talented she is. She can rap toe to toe with some of the best; spitting out rhymes so fast it’ll make your head spin. What I appreciate was her level of professionalism. She rapped her songs and didn’t miss a beat; her and her dancers were so polished there is no way you can pull off that level of a performance without locking in hours of rehearsal. Let’s just say her entire set was on point. The crowd of course ate her up. Shoulder to shoulder everyone stood there loving every minute of her and once again, you could’ve lit up a stadium with the amount of cell phones capturing her every move. Azalea ended the night thanking adoring fans and Pandora, just as classy as the previous artists had. Then finished with that number one hit, Fancy to send adoring fans over the edge.