The Las Vegas Strip hosted the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival for the third consecutive year. Tickets sold out in only minutes. On Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21, some of the nation’s biggest artists from genres gathered in MGM Grand Garden Arena, making for one fan pleasing concert.
Not only were fans able to enjoy such a wide variety of music, but iHeartRadio also decided to expand their annual concert for the very first time by inviting older musicians to perform at this years show. IHeartRadio Music Festival Village took place during the daytime from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday and was held at a 15-acre parking lot adjacent to the arena.
This new event opened the door for nearly a dozen talented and popular artists, such as Miley Cyrus, Krewella, Twenty One Pilots and Jason Derulo to come to the Las Vegas strip and play live for their fans. The festival also included celebrity presenters, including The Kardashians and Kate Hudson to set the stage for the musical performers.
The iHeartRadio Music Festival Village was Miley Cyrus’ first marked performance since the news broke she and Liam Hemsworth ended their engagement, according to iHeartRadio.
In an interview with iHeartRadio, Cyrus said, “I’ve never really had to sacrifice for my career before, and I’ve had to a little bit with this record. I’ve kind of had to put aside everything going on in my personal life and focused one hundred percent on my music.”
Not only did Cyrus perform Saturday during the village event, but she was also able to sing her new song “Wrecking Ball” Saturday night on the MGM Grand Garden Arena stage. Although she has been in the spotlight lately for twerking at the VMA’s, thousands of screaming fans were still there to sing the lyrics of her new and successful single, “Wrecking Ball” which is number one on Billboard Hot 100. Cyrus’s album, Bangerz, is set to hit stores Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013.
Speaking of Cyrus’ risky behavior lately, it is beginning to rub off on Robin Thicke, considering his wardrobe malfunction that occurred towards the beginning of the festival on Friday night. While Thicke was performing, a button popped off his shirt, revealing his belly to the screaming fans. Also, the zipper on his pants came halfway down during the process. He laughed off the incident with presenter Ryan Seacrest after his set, although it did create an awkward start to the musical event.
With a mix of new school artists such as Katy Perry and Muse and old school artists like Elton John and Queen, many fans old and young were satisfied with the performances. According to ABC News, Elton John may not have had any current hits on the radio, but he was still able to come in and caused an uproaring of applauses in the crowd, wearing a bold and glittery blazer.
According to huffingtonpost.com, one of the top performers of the night, Elton John, earned most of the cheers during the festival and a standing ovation only after his third song. John recently had surgery to remove his appendix, but he did not let that slow him down during his set. The 66-year-old was fierce on his piano, playing some of his most legendary songs such as “Bennie and the Jets” and “Tiny Dancers.”
Queen was another performer from the ‘70s that joined Elton John and the rest of the old school artists at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. The renowned band played some of the biggest songs of their career. The fans were surprised as two other artists decided to make surprise appearances on stage during Queen’s set.
Adam Lambert from American Idol sang a hand full of songs with Queen and hit those high notes on songs such as “Who Wants to Live Forever.” Not only did Lambert play along with Queen, but pop-rock trio Fun. decided to join in on the action as well. Levine was a tough act to follow, but the lead singer of Fun., Nate Reuss, surprised fans as he sang alongside his idols. Reuss admitted to the crowd that playing with Queen was a lifelong dream of his, and he then proceeded to thank the legendary band for this amazing opportunity. Lambert then came back on stage to close the night with both Fun. and Queen while belting out “We Are the Champions.”
Friday also featured a guest appearance by Robin Thicke and Macy’s iHeartRadio rising star, The Summer Set. Saturday night’s lineup started with Paul McCartney and followed with Justin Timberlake, Drake, Tim McGraw, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Phoenix, Ke$ha, Miguel, Zedd and Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Live videos, pictures and more information on the iHeartRadio Music Festival can be found at festival.iheart.com or you can watch the entire show which will be aired on the CW and ET on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. With so many legends from so many different genres of music, the 2013 festival definitely made for one memorable weekend.
Jacki Guenther can be reached at jaclyn.guenther@spartans.ut.edu