Jingle Ball 2011

BankAtlantic Center
Sunrise, FL
December 10, 2011

Review and Photos by Anthony Cave

Y100.7 Miami’s annual music fest welcomed teenage girls, their parents and the soon to be ex-boyfriends. Despite the tweens and barely teen crowd, the right elements mixed for prominent artists and their best three to four songs.

Demi Levato

       For one, the artists actually ran on time. However, I came in with only a few acts I wanted to see. Last year’s onslaught of Enrique Iglesias, Katy Perry and Pitbull is hard to top twice.

       No giveaways or fan interactions this time around, but the show did not disappoint.

       Disney Channel diva-turned-rehab graduate Demi Levato opened with “Unbroken” and “All Night Long” before her renowned hit “Skyscraper.” No one (except the tweens) really knew her first two songs, myself included.

Amy Heidemann of Karmin

       This was the case for much of the night, as Y100 often overplays one good song from a choice artist, so the other songs ended up receiving a lukewarm reception from the crowd.

       Ryan Seacrest, on the huge overhead video monitor, introduced the next act, Karmin. They performed a cover of Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” and Katy Perry’s “Firework” before closing with “Crash Your Party,” a Black Eyed Peas-ish song which could go viral on YouTube soon, considering that’s how the group found exposure originally.

       Performing their severely overplayed track “Pumped Up Kicks,” Foster The People followed. For the non-mainstream crowd, it was a welcomed change. I enjoyed their other songs like “Color On The Walls (Don’t Stop)” (Yes, I heard it from the car commercial, so what?) and “Call It What You Want.”

Cody Simpson

       Ten minutes of ‘I wanna be Justin Bieber’ artist Cody Simpson started shortly after. The 13-year-old girls must have enjoyed “All Day” and “On My Mind,” but I did not.

       In the short five to ten minute breaks between artists, DJ Mix Cartel dialed up some tracks. I don’t know how I feel about kids mouthing the words (and dancing vigorously) to Jay-Z and Kanye’s “N****s in Paris” though. It didn’t help that Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes threw in a few F-bombs during his performance minutes before.

       Y100’s Michael Yo introduced Kelly Clarkson, who went straight into “Since U Been Gone.” Requiring no help from back-up singers or louder background music, Clarkson’s vocals shined. She followed with “Stronger,” “My Life Would Suck Without You” and the festive “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”

A huge illuminated display with Guetta in the middle appealed to the eye, and the music’s infectious beat kept the party rolling.

Kelly Clarkson

Also interesting during her performance was the graphics on the overhead screen showing newspaper clippings depicting her as fat. While that went on, she rocked “Mr. Know It All.” It was clear her weight and the reaction from the media did not affect her; Clarkson had the best performance of the night.

LMFAO followed—well half of the group, since Red Foo cited Sky Blu as absent because of wiggling too much. The songs took a slight knock in quality with Sky Blu’s absence, but the confetti poured just as well for “Party Rock Anthem” and “I’m In Miami B****h.” During “Sexy And I Know It,” they all stripped to their underwear, which pleased the female members of the crowd.

LMFAO

David Guetta thanked Miami for playing his house music when no one else would before turning the entire arena into a nightclub, for 20 minutes at least. A huge illuminated display with Guetta in the middle appealed to the eye, and the music’s infectious beat kept the party rolling.

Most of his songs were off his new album Nothing But The Beat. He opened with “Memories” and “Little Bad Girl.” Of course, these songs do have artists other than the core beats, so Flo Rida popped in for “Where Them Girls At.” Guetta then closed with the crowd pleaser “Without You.”

Michael Yo, Nina and Nick of Y100

       Flo Rida then finished what he started with “Good Feeling.”

       More dancing and fist-pumping ensued, as Pitbull opened with a revolving stage. He ran back and forth in typical Pitbull fashion - a white tailored suit and sunglasses.

       “Hey Baby,” “Rain Over Me” and “International Love” in succession rocked the crowd. Guetta’s “Nothing But The Beat” and Pitbull’s “Planet Pit” makes any amateur DJ look like a professional. “I Know You Want Me” and the simple 1,2,3,4 count followed.

       It wasn’t just Pitbull on stage though. Nayer joined Mr. 305 for the closing number, “Give Me Everything.”

       “Tonight…give me everything tonight” resonated throughout the BankAtlantic Center – bringing Jingle Ball 2011 to an end.

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