This was my second time going to HOT995 Jingle Ball. I really enjoyed the music this time around. It's always funny because I don't always realize that I know the artists until I hear their music.
This year's lineup was pretty solid. My favorites were Charlie Puth, Khalid and Halsey. Charlie has really found his sound, I was very impressed by his set and didn't realize how many songs I knew (I knew his entire set). Charlie has some soul in him, and has clearly been working out LOL. Khalid was a crowd favorite for sure. I saw him at Capital One Arena in August. Unfortunately, that was the same day at the El Paso shooting, so I could tell that weighed on Khalid as that's his hometown. It was great to see him in better spirits this go around. It was my first time seeing Halsey live and she was great. I did wish her set was longer -- they set her up to be the headliner and it was a little anti-climatic that she was really only on stage for about 10 mins (show ended around 10:15pm). I do feel that they probably should have ended with Khalid or Charlie Puth since they have more songs out, just my opinion.
I was impressed by Lewis Capaldi, Niall Horan and Why Don't We. It was my first time hearing all of them live, but I clearly heard their music before on HOT995, I just didn't know that it was them. Lewis Capaldi is hilarious and I enjoyed his cover of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles". Why Don't We definitely had me in my group text chat asking who they were - they are still pretty new in their careers, but I enjoyed their set. Especially the band member who plays the cello! That got my attention - the fact that all five band members were playing instruments on stage, I love that. Niall Horan was good but I don't think his music is my personal vibe, but the crowd loved him.
As a self-proclaimed concerthead, I made sure to get seats in the 100 level and it was fantastic. I sat in the 400 level last year and that was fine but I was scared to stand up lol. I often go to concerts by myself so I can really take in the experience. The crowd was also a good mix this year. Last year, I felt like an old person, but this year I would say there was a mix of folks between tweens and maybe even up into the 50/60's which was pretty dope. I'm a Capital One card holder so going to Capital One Arena means I get discounts on purchases which I always enjoy. The only thing I didn't like was that I wanted a MACY's reindeer hat and the Jingle Ball bow but could not find where they were giving them out at. This happened last year too where I had to ask and flag someone down to give me one. That was a little annoying but otherwise the overall experience was great. Kudos to the members of the KANE show for being gracious hosts. Will definitely be back next year.