iHeartRadio Music Festival Dominates Vegas

iHeartRadio is an internet-based radio platform that allows users to access radio stations across the globe and create their own custom stations. Since 2011 they’ve held the iHeartRadio Music Festival each year to present awards to multiple radio charting acts. More than 16,000 fans gather at the MGM Grand Garden Arena each year. 
This year thousands in Vegas and millions online flocked to see their favorite artists perform their most popular hits.

Friday night opened with Taylor Swift singing her first #1 hit, “We Are Never Getting Back Together” from the 2012 album, “Red”. She ended her 5-song set with her latest single, “Shake It Off,” from her upcoming album “1989”. Coldplay soon followed by playing songs such as “Viva La Vida”, “Paradise”, and the Grammy Award winning “Clocks”. Nicki Minaj presented hip-hop and rap to the arena with her multi-platinum song, “Superbass,” and “Did It on ‘Em”. She also brought Ariana Grande on stage for “Bang Bang,” before concluding with her latest single “Anaconda”. The remaining acts of Friday night were Grande, Mötley Crüe, Zac Brown Band, Steve Aoki, Bastille, and headliner Usher, with surprises from Alicia Keys, Jason Derulo, Will.I.Am, Chris Brown and Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz.

Saturday was filled with more excitement as iHeartRadio Festival Village ventured outside that afternoon with breakout artists of the year such as Iggy Azalea, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Magic! One Direction who sang “Midnight Memories”, “Little Things”, “Story of My Life”, and their multi-platinum “What Makes You Beautiful” opened that night. Ed Sheeran performed second, guitar in tow, with “Don’t”, “Sing”, Grammy-nominated “The A-Team”, and an unexpected cover of “Same Love” with Macklemore. Lorde became a highlight of the night by singing “Glory And Gore”, “Tennis Court”, and her Billboard #1 single “Royals”. The remaining acts of Saturday night were Paramore, Iggy Azalea, Weezer, 50 Cent, Eric Church, Train, and headliner Calvin Harris with surprises from Mehgan Trainor and Lil Jon.

According to Business Wise, iHeartRadio Music Festival left 5 billion social media impressions through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr. iHeartRadio also teamed up with the quick sharing app, Snapchat; updating those online through live footage of the concerts.

Music is a topic well celebrated by those at Urbana High School, so I talked to UHS Junior, Sylvia Maehr. “I saw clips of the festival on Snapchat; it’s pretty cool that they allow people who aren’t there to experience the event. I was excited to see Macklemore and Childish Gambino. It’ll be fun to go see the most popular singers and rappers in one location some day,” said Maehr. In terms of the mass integration of social media for events, Maehr said, “I think it intensifies the impact, making the events more accessible for the public’s involvement.”