There is no other music festival like the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Now in its eighth year at T-Mobile Arena, the weekend event is a fast-moving, diverse showcase of contemporary pop music that feels more like a two-day macro-party than a major commitment of time and travel to an outdoor event with long lines for few portable restrooms.
This year’s lineup spans decades from the era of The Black Crowes and New Kids on the Block to current hitmakers Halsey and Shaboozey, with multiple stops on the timeline along the way. Once again hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the festival continues its tradition of surprise performances and performer collaborations.
The 2023 talent roster similarly ran the gamut from stars that got their starts in the ’80s such as Public Enemy and Lenny Kravitz to post-millennium pop chart powerhouses Kelly Clarkson and Lil Wayne. Nineties representation came in the form of Foo Fighters, TLC, Tim McGraw and Sheryl Crow, while Fall Out Boy and Thirty Seconds to Mars added arena rock energy to the mix.
The first acts added to this year’s lineup were announced in June. Big Sean, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Victoria Monét, Paramore, Thomas Rhett, Shaboozey, Gwen Stefani, pictured, and Keith Urban formed a formidable cavalcade of stars before Dua Lipa and Hozier signed on.
Once A$AP Rocky, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and The Weeknd came on board, the roster was full to overflowing enough to weather any last-minute disruptions due to flight cancellations or illness. Martin’s absence would be the only one that could detract from plans for the stage production, as the circular main screen above the stage was inspired by Coldplay album art.
Coldplay is a veteran festival act, having performed at iHeart more times, including the 2011 inaugural event, than any other act. Martin and company demonstrated how fired up an audience can get with a short set, setting the room on fire with “Charlie Brown,” “Fix You” and “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall.”
That was the first of many memorable moments, from Queen making a triumphant return in 2013 with vocalist Adam Lambert to TLC paying tribute to the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes last year.
Fall Out Boy donned flaming helmets for its tribute to Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” during that weekend, while Travis Scott showed how one rapper and a DJ could electrify an arena-size crowd.
Martin will be coming to Vegas between Coldplay tours of Europe and Australia, while The Weeknd will be coming from a live-streamed “one-night-only” concert in São Paulo, Brazil. The talent, in other words, will be fired up.
T-Mobile Arena, 7:30 p.m. Sept 20-21, starting at $86.75 plus tax and fee. axs.com
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