B96 Jingle Bash 2015 Ft. Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Five Seconds Of Summer And More

B96 Jingle Bash
December 6, 2014
Allstate Arena- Chicago, IL

You know you’re in Chicago and the holidays are getting close, when the B96 Jingle Bash sets their date in early December. This year’s lineup was smaller in terms of artists than in previous years but made up for it with lineup full of headliners who could fill up the Allstate Arena.
Opening the show was Ariana Grande, who made sure the seats were full when she came on at 5:30pm to a sold out venue. Playing her hit songs as well as her new Christmas song, Santa Tell Me she was the only female performer that night. She held her own and raised the bar high for the night. Five Seconds of Summer took the stage next – a surprise for many with the early start but for sure were the highlight of the night. Playing a short set that included Good Girls, Voodoo Doll, Amnesia, What I Like About You, and their big hit, She Looks So Perfect. They played their own instruments and had fun onstage and the crowd cheered their approval. Fans in Chicago will have to wait till the summer of 2015 to see them again.
Scooter Braun’s “School Boy” label brand, Rixton, came on next and played their hit, Me and My Broken Heart; was a tough act to follow after 5SOS but they kept the live music going. MKTO have been slowly climbing the charts with their singing and rapping lyrics and fresh sound that becomes infectious to your ears. They played cuts off their self-titled album – Classic, Thank You and God Only Knows. Lil Jon donned his DJ hat and spun some of his hit traces on the turntables; would have been a nice break if they did not have 3 DJ’s sets played back to back – “Chicago DJ” to back Martin Garrix.
Garrix is one of the top DJ’s in the world and brought his beats to Chicago. Known for his hit song Animals, he did not waste much time getting the crowd jacked up.
Ending the night was Pharrell Williams with a live backing band, background singers and dancers, he did not short his set. He played a set that was more for the parents in the crowd before getting everyone dancing with, Happy.
Once again, Jingle Bash brought out the stars for Chicago and a tradition that we hope to continue for many more years to come.
Review by: Peter Lizano