Music News

The country star’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has turned him into an international sensation after spending a record-tying 19 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Posted up a bar in the W Hotel, ‘Boozey slow-walked to the stage in a white suit with sparkly brown fringe, descending a white staircase to join his band in the lobby for a two-step through his inescapable hit as fans clapped along to the railroad beat and swung napkins overt their heads in unison.

Moroney was up-close-and-personal with her fans, performing “Man on the Moon” from her breakthrough Am I Okay? album under a bridge while surrounded by her denim, cowboy hat and boot-wearing faithful and rocking one of her signature glittery ensembles.

Shaboozey also performed his more ruminative single “Highway” while seated on a chair and strumming his guitar.

As part of the capper to his massive year, Jelly did a slow walk to the stage through the crowd, kissed his wife, podcaster Bunnie XO, and brought a hush over the crowd with a moving, camera light-waving ramble through his power ballad “I Am Not Okay.” The best part? The performance came just after Jelly won his first-ever BBMA, for top hard rock song for “All My Life,” his collaboration with Falling in Reverse.

The K-pop boy band’s slick moves were in full effect during their dynamic run through “Love, Money, Fame,” which opened with the 13 members making their way down sun-splashed Wilshire Blvd. and busting out choreo on the sidewalk before hopping in a pick-up truck and transporting to a concert stage on the beachside boardwalk.

Jelly Roll was back later in the night for another emotional performance, this time of the ballad “Liar.” He told the crowd, “I see people crying and I see strangers wrapping their arms around them and spreading the love all throughout the building. I can feel the pain, and I can feel the healing happening.” Then, after shouting “the devil is a liar!,” the country singer dove into the quicktime acoustic rocker about the forces of evil trying to keep him down.

Mexican American powerhouse group Fuerza Regida brought their signature swagger to Thursday’s show, playing a medley of their Jersey corridos “Pero No Te Enamores” and “Nel” in a swanky club-like setting filled with dancers in glitter-covered outfits. Bucket hat-wearing singer JOP then walked out onto a thrust stage in the middle of the audience and got the crowd dancing and singing along to the strains of the more uptempo, dance-ready tune.

South African singer Tyla tore the club up on Thursday night with a medley of her bangers, “Push 2 Start” and “Shake Ah,” which took her from a tile-lined, neon-lit bathroom where she was joined by a group of gyrating dancers to a packed club, where she was got an assist from Optimist Music ZA, one of the featured artists on “Shake.”

The K-pop boy band proved their 2024 chart dominance was no fluke with a spirited, futuristic run through their hits “Chk Chk Boom” and “JJAM.” Dressed in all black leather military-style gear for the rap-heavy first part of the performance, the eight-man group did a quick change into more casual street gear as the beats heated up and the stage was bathed in neon lights for the second portion of the high-energy medley.

Chris Martin and Co. beamed in from one of their stadium gigs in Australia to perform a moving version of their Moon Music single “All My Love,” with their Aussie fans helping out on the swaying chorus in the band’s BBMA’s performance debut.

It was a good night for Teddy Swims, who won Top Hot 100 song and Top Radio Song for “Lose Control,” which he also memorably performed. Dressed in all-black leather and Elvis-style shades, Teddy crooned the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit while surrounded by a group of swaying fans hanging in the shadows behind him.

Teddy picked up the pace earlier in the night for his ramble through the mid-tempo soul rocker “Bad Dreams.”

Linkin Park topped off their huge comeback year with a run through their propulsive hit single, “The Emptiness Machine.” Lead singer Mike Shinoda and new co-vocalist Emily Strong got the massive arena crowd to shout out the song’s lyrics as if it was one of the veteran band’s chart classics — the song debuted at No. 21 on the Hot 100 when it was released in September, becoming LP’s biggest hit in 15 years.