Written By: Michelle L. Pisarri

KTU holds a concert KTUPHORIA, where they pull all the strings they can to get some of the biggest names in the industry to be in the same place on the same night. Although KTU 103.5 is not my number one station- because Sirus XM spoils me- it is definitely one of the more well known stations.

 

To open the show- you know besides the DJ off to the side that does the ‘entertaining before the entertaining’ Justin Baron hits the stage looking quite irresistible in his tailored grey suit. Along side his guitarist, tenors, and sax player, he takes to the key board and sings with a pretty good voice. He appreciated the moment and the crowd during his short set list.

Sidebar: So you know that song out there right now? About the guy who wants to marry the girl but her dad says no? A few times? So Magic! sings that song. Sorry- I did not know- but I do now.

 

Well- guess what? They performed next. Magic! started out playing “No Way No” a song seemingly on the rise. They followed it up with their big hit “Rude”. The crowd was off to a slow start but once the chorus hit – the echoes of, “why you gotta’ be so rude” and “marry that girl” were deafening. Kudos Magic! kudos.

 

The lights went out and the background crew heads in to do some scenic changes for the following act. All of the sudden girls’ voices just pierced all the ears in the arena.

Ariana Grande comes out in an adorable pink and white 60’s getup. She played the highlights of her career- singing her most popular songs: The Way, featuring Mac Miller, and Problem, featuring the up and up Iggy Azalea. She kept the dancing to a suitable amount and she left her performance to her voice- and she clearly- can sing.

 

Once Ariana left the stage it was time for another scenic change. A few radio DJ’s from KTU came out to do a little introduction- and the crowd had to hang on their every word to find out who was coming on next.

 

…Seemed like a pretty serious stage set up- a little too complex for a DJ to work with.

 

So… who was it?

 

Jennifer ‘Jenny from the Bronx’ Lopez. It can be said with little room for argument that she took everyone to school on how to perform. It was so apparent that she has been a professional performer for years. She plays to the crowd at the right moments, hits her dance moves, and sings through the whole performance. There are people that can go through the motions of performing- and then there are natural performers.

 

Lopez performed songs like, “On the Floor”, “First Love”, and “Get Right”, to leave the crowd marveled.   She also gave a sneak preview to her teaser song, “Booty” featuring Pitbull from her next album. Before exiting the stage, she hits a dance number and shows the audience what kind of talent she has- and her background dancers. Only until after each member had their moment to shine did Jennifer Lopez come to the front of the stage to bow with her team- and then exit the arena.

 

For the most explosive event of the evening Calvin Harris hit the stage to give a hell of a performance of some electronic dance music. It was an adrenalin pumping performance- the beats hit so loud it surged through your body whether you wanted it to or not. Glow sticks filled the room. The jumbotron showed psychedelic imagery and the neon lights swarmed the arena. Just when you thought that this was the climax of his show you were wrong. In an instant he brought the beat up, smoke machines shot 40 feet in the air, and neon confetti burst from the stage. Insane. And still not the climax. The next beat hits, the smoke hits again, the confetti again, and then fireworks.

 

I won’t lie… I did look for a fire exit after seeing the first set of fireworks.

 

But I have to say, Calvin Harris did quite a great job. I was immersed in loud music, shinny objects, and blaring lights for the entire duration of his performance and I enjoyed every minute of it.

 

Sadly- with both huge performers going back to back so early on in the show people started to vacate the premises. It seemed that the Chainsmokers with their huge one hit wonder “Let Me Take a Selfie” and Cash Cash, and rather well played group on the radio, along with Disco Fries weren’t enough to keep some people from wanting to avoid gnarly traffic patterns and intense stand stills leaving the parking lots.

 

Unfortunately I myself walked along with that crowd.

 

Needless to say, all performances seen- were highly, highly, entertaining.