Tonight is Z-100’s Jingle Ball. Justin will be back but otherwise all new stars!!!
here is my review from last year!
What a trooper! Fifteen year old Canadian youtube cum pop charts sensation Justin Bieber is centerstage in a NY cap and leaning forward into the mic while a a buncha dancers rip it up behind him. Then he dances up and down on one leg. That little move isn’t cheoographed, it’s because the kid has fractured his foot and it is in a white cast.
The 20,000 tween girls don’t mind. They are screaming their heads off for Justin. They have been shouting for him all night, so much so that good sport John Mayer says during his set “I know what you’re thinking. When is this old dude gonna get off stage so we can get to Justin?” It’s a sweet recognition and actually gets a laugh between the roar of tween puppy love, a rumbling whinge. Orianthi, who plays an unexpected song between Mayer and Justin’s set, is less fortunate, and if she had attempted two songs could well have gotten herself bottled off stage.
Bieber pulls off an only occassionally whince inducing set -the songs are pleasant enough and “One Less Lonely Girl” sang to a mortified looking audience member carrying red roses, is a pretty good song. The Usher (yes, Usher -it was a cover) duet brings down the house.Justin might be cute once he loses the baby fat.
Othewise, it appears to me that the state of pop music as projected on stage at MSG can be defined in one word: accomodating. If you buy the mp3s they will come and they will play their hearts out for you.
Kesha opens the proceedings with “Tik Tok” her only hit. Boys Like Girls a pleasant enough pop-rock group with an unfortunate name, cover “I’ve Gotta Feeling” and Taylor Swift comes out for a song.
The third act is hip hop star Pitbull and he is absolutely terrific, with the possible exception of a Taylor song during the last set, Pitbull hijacks the night and puts it in the pocket of his three piece suit. With a back up rapper and a DJ he is a galvanizing presence, force of nature on “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” his bald head glistening, the lights reflecting off his shades before he throws em into the audience.The penultimate “Hotel Room Service” shoulda been the last song but everything else was perfect.
I can’t believe the bland as milk duds Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert to win the American Idol 8th season. Lambert is here as well though only to introduce Taylor Swift. So are two others making a total of four AI’s). A boring set though Kris did give Kanye West’s “Heartless” a heartful and inspired performance. It was the highlight of Kris’ album as well. Owl City does his one hit from center stage.The Fray must have four hits and though with a keyboardist centerstage they look like Ben Folds 5, they come on like another power ballad rock group with a handful of hits one, “How To Save A Life” is pretty good. Jay Sean performed the punningly funny “Down” and than became a human wheels of steel sampling from some of the other acts. He’s a good looking kid who should go far.
Jordin Sparks sings to backing tapes and almost falls on her ass with a terribly conceived and pretty terribly executed acapella “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” . Later she kicks off her heels and still towers over Justin during a duet. Taylor joins John Mayer for a duet qnd gets Mayer his biggest response of the night. I don’t like Mayer much but his good nature at playing for such a young and, John’s claims notwithstand, pretty appreciative audience, is winning me over. After a blues based guitar solo he quips “Trust me, your kids are gonna love it” -the Michael J. Fox line off the movie Back to The Future.
And finally to the one and only queen of pop music: Taylor Swift and no the backlash isn’t gonna start here because even if they are seriously doctoring her vocals in the mix and even if she really isn’t playing ANY INTSRUMENTS AT ALL, she is a charming and coy band leader who writes the best songs in the world. BUT… during a preamble to “Teardrops On My Guitar” Taylor goes on about how her dream was to marry this guy but how she now has bigger dreams, “before “Fifteen” she discusses being popular in High School AND NOW… here’s my problem, that’s like a lotterry winner saying how he worked hard all his life. So what? What has it to do with anything? Where’s the lesson? What’s being shared?
Swift is becoming an egomaniac -she twinkles and smirks through her set and it is becoming irritating. She is suddenly full of herself and, sure, for a good reason, but she should watch it. It’s a pretty good set, nothing special, she has great stage presence and not much voice, which we all knew.
However, during “You’re Not Sorry” she segues into Justin Timberlakes “What Comes Around Goes Around” and the flip is switched on, she pounds the piano, it might have been nicer if she played bit but, and the emotions flood out of her: her voice isn’t there but her timbre is cracking and her emotions, just like on record, flood through. The best moment of the night though the night concludes with “Love Story” -one of the best songs of the decade and down comes the confetti. See you next year…