The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball is by far one of the most anticipated and attended concerts of the holiday season! The national phenomenon began in December of 1995, continues to grow in popularity, and is a huge success (not to mention money-maker) each year!
This year, however, looked quite a bit different as did many events of 2020… while Jingle Ball is typically held in-person every year at Madison Square Garden in New York City, all performances lined up for 2020 were virtual. iHeartRadio typically pairs up with a variety of SiriusXM channels, including Z100 and KISS-FM. In 2020, iHeart Radio presented its annual Jingle Ball with Capital One.
The Jingle Ball line-up is jam-packed with pop stars and artists that are popular throughout that particular year. The line-up (when Jingle Ball is in-person) isn’t announced until a week or two prior to the actual concert, building anticipation for those looking to snag tickets to the party of the year. Waiting until the artists are revealed creates a suspenseful, yet exciting, surprise for attendees when the list is finally announced! People purchase their tickets months in advance, knowing that the Jingle Ball officials come out with great line-ups each year. At the (typical) in-person concert, there is a main stage in the center of the hall that is divided into 3 or 4 sections on a rotating platform. This allows the performers to continuously move the show along after performing a song or two, thus not taking a ton of time to switch out sets for each singer. The platform is featured towards the front of the crowds, providing every attendee a decent view of the performers.
But again, this year was different. Due to COVID-19, the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball was broadcast across the USA on The CW App and on cwtv.com on Thursday, December 10th, 2020, a rare occurrence, considering tickets aren’t cheap. No tickets were required this year to see the virtual concert, which was next in line to go virtual in 2020 after the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys and other more nationally acclaimed shows. Instagram and Twitter were ablaze with excitement, discussing the line-up of singers: Shawn Mendes, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Smith, and The Weeknd, amongst others!
Personally, a couple of my favorite performances of the night included Lewis Capaldi and Dua Lipa, mainly because of the songs that they sang and the unique and interesting sets that they performed on — not to mention some fun dance steps. These are also a couple of my favorite singers, so I might just be a bit biased !!
The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2020 performances are currently available on YouTube or wherever you find your favorite videos — take some time over the upcoming weekend in case you missed this the first time around and enjoy!
Sources Used:
- https://www.iheart.com/jingle-ball/
