Q102 Jingle Ball 2023 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia (A PopEntertainment.com Concert Review)

Updated: Jan 1

Usher, Big Time Rush, OneRepublic, Jelly Roll, David Kushner, (G)I-DLE, Jesse Murph, Joelle James & Free Arlo – Q102 Jingle Ball 2023 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA – December 12, 2023

Rocking Around the Wells Fargo Center…

iHeartRadio held their annual Jingle Ball concert at the Wells Fargo Center. This was the perfect holiday gift and the best way to close out 2023! The star-studded lineup included Usher, Big Time Rush, Jelly Roll, (G)I-DLE, Jessie Murph, OneRepublic, David Kushner, and many more! The night even included some surprise appearances like Jared Leto, The Jersey Shore’s J-WOWW, and even Betsy Ross! We had an incredible time checking out the show and were even lucky enough to hit the red carpet to hang out with the performers before they took the stage.

The show started off with a bang with performances by Free Arlo, the winner of iHeartRadio’s Open for An Icon Contest, followed by Joelle James, and Jessie Murph. We had the privilege of seeing Jessie live on her nearly sold-out world tour back in October 2023, so it was incredible to see her take the stage of the Wells Fargo Center. She is so down-to-earth, so it was a pleasure to see her shine on stage again.

Other electric performances included Jelly Roll, who was accompanied by Jessie Murph to perform their hit song “Wild Ones,” girl group (G)I-DLE who had the entire arena on their feet, and then the entire audience sang along to David Kushner’s set. The arena lit up with the flashlights of 20,000 fans’ phones as David played his hit song “Daylight.”

As the night went on, fans were gearing up for the most exciting acts of the night- OneRepublic, Big Time Rush, and Usher. As always, OneRepublic’s performance did not disappoint. They opened their set with fan favorite “Secrets,” followed by “I Ain’t Worried” featured in the 2022 film Top Gun Maverick, and several other bops, then closed the performance with “Counting Stars.” This brought the audience, us included, back to the early 2000’s!

Up next was Big Time Rush, whom we have had the pleasure of seeing perform live numerous times over the years- each show better than the last. The guys stepped on stage, and it sounded like the sound barrier broke due to the audience’s screams. The Rushers don’t mess around! Their dance-worthy set included “Windows Down,” “Music Sounds Better,” and of course, “Boyfriend.”

As if seeing Big Time Rush and OneRepublic wasn’t enough nostalgia for one night, it was time for Usher to close out Jingle Ball 2023. He opened his set with “My Way,” followed by “Caught Up,” “You Make Me Wanna…,” and more. Fans were floored by Usher’s performance, as he has been making hits for over 25 years. This was such a surreal experience for everyone in attendance. He then went on to play other jams and closed out the night with “Good Good.”

We had an incredible time at Jingle Ball 2023, and we cannot wait to see what 2024 has in store!

Kayla Marra