America’s top artists came together to kick off the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2017 Tour Tuesday, Nov. 27. The first stop on the tour was the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The concert tour, sponsored by Capital One, has different lineups depending on the city and artist availability. Each lineup is star-studded with popular artists. The Dallas Jingle Ball lineup included Camilla Cabello, Hailee Steinfeld, Why Don’t We, Liam Payne, Kesha, Charlie Puth, Niall Horan and the Chainsmokers.
Concertgoers decked the downtown sidewalks, waiting to get to their seats for the prompt 7:30 p.m. start. The artists did not keep fans waiting. First up was Camilla Cabello, who performed her singles “OMG,” “Crying in the Club,” “Havana” and “I’ll Never be the Same.”
Next, Hailee Steinfeld sang “Starving,” “Most Girls,” “Love Myself” and her newest single, “Let Me Go.” All the songs have been radio regulars. This was the singer’s first time performing live in such a large setting.
The five-guy pop boy band Why Don’t We had the most lighting elements. The band played a few of its most notable songs, including “Help Me Help You,” “These Girls” and “Something Different.” The pre-teen screams filling the arena showed “We Don’t We” was a fan favorite.
Liam Payne also gave the audience a swoon-worthy performance. While performing “Strip that Down,” “Get Low” and “Bedroom Floor,” Liam performed with multiple backup dancers. Also, he hit the high note in “Bedroom Floor” like a dream.
Although the concert had some big-name artists, the audience was particularly excited to see Kesha perform tracks from her new album. She didn’t disappoint. Kesha ignited the arena during her performance of “Woman,” “Learn to Let Go” and “Praying.” She also had a surprise for her “animals” in the audience and decided to harken back to her first album with “Take it Off” and “Tik Tok.” In true Kesha fashion, multiple confetti cannons were fired.
Charlie Puth kept the theatrics to a minimum, performing without dancers or a lot of special effects. The artist’s quirky nature was apparent during his performance. His set list included “Attention,” “How Long,” “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” “One Call Away” and “See You Again.”
Niall Horan was likely tied with Kesha for the most anticipated performance. Like Puth, Horan kept the special effects to a minimum while singing songs from his album “Flicker.” His set list included “This Town,” “Too Much to Ask,” “Seeing Blind” and “Slow Hands.”
Last but not least were the Chainsmokers. The duo promoted Bumble Beats earlier that day by visiting the SMU campus and handing out VIP meet-and-greet passes for the show to students. They stayed to greet fans and take pictures. That day, the pair was also nominated for a Grammy in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category for their song “Something Just Like This,” recorded with Coldplay. They played “Bloodstream,” “Paris,” “Something Just Like This” and a couple more songs that left the arena pulsing with energy.
