Lineup revealed for superstar-peppered Las Vegas music festival
Mariah Carey, Jelly Roll and Lil Wayne sharing a stage might occur only in an AI-generated all-star show or musical fever dream. Or, at the iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena.
The superstar-peppered, two- night music festival returns Sept. 19 and 20. This year’s lineup: the three aforementioned headliners, along with Diplo, Bryan Adams, Ed Sheeran, Feid, GloRilla, John Fogerty, Justice, Maroon 5, Sammy Hagar, Tate McRae, The Offspring and Tim McGraw.
As in years past, the iHeart Media event will feature unique collaborations and surprise performances. Less than surprising, the ubiquitous Ryan Seacrest is back as host. Tickets for the event are at axs.com (shows are at 7:30 p.m., doors at 6:30).
The event is a reminder that over-the-air radio still has a presence in the entertainment culture. The show will be broadcast live on iHeartMedia radio stations throughout the country in more than 150 markets, and on its iheart.com platform. In Las Vegas, iHeartMedia’s FM stations include Jammin’ 105.7, 95.5 The Bull, 102.7 VGS, 107.9 Coyote Country, Latino Mix 99.3 FM, Real 103.9 hip-hop/R&B, and KNPR 88.9, Nevada Public Radio.
Hulu is once more the festival’s official streaming service, with performances livestreamed each night exclusively to Hulu subscribers.
The festival has been held in September in Las Vegas since its debut at the MGM Grand Garden in 2011. The show moved to T-Mobile Arena in 2016.
There are no plans to bring back the Daytime Stage, a popular Saturday festival showcase in past years, to the annual event. It had been staged at Las Vegas Village, the Las Vegas Festival Grounds and Area15.
What the event hasn’t been in its long history is a proven sellout. The power of iHeartMedia’s national reach draws a robust lineup every year. But the show doesn’t fill T-Mobile, and it ran short of capacity at the MGM Grand Garden, too.
The take from here, having covered the iHeartRadio event from its inception: Many tickets are reserved for music industry types and go unused. Shows featuring a wide array of artists mean that many casual fans get just a sampling of their favorite genres. Las Vegas is highly competitive that weekend, and every weekend, with live entertainment options (Chris Brown is at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 20, Motley Crue at Dolby Live, Janet Jackson at Resorts World Theatre, Carlos Santana at the House of Blues, etc.). And tickets aren’t cheap, running $370 to more than $1,000 for lower-bowl and floor sections per night.
Many fans will probably assume the show is best watched live or on Hulu. But the on-site production is stellar, the rotating stages allowing for a behind-the-scenes setup for the upcoming act while another is performing. The quality of performers is self-evident. And this year, the House of Music returns to Toshiba Plaza with a free walk-through and, yes, an interactive experience — more details on that, and more, in the offing.
Epic reunion
On Saturday, and for the first time in more than 20 years, the original four members of Boyz II Men reunited for a proper performance at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan. Michael McCary joined Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris. Stockman introduced McCary as “the one with the deep, sexy and sultry voice.” The group delivered a stellar “I’ll Make Love to You.”
The crowd erupted at the intro. Among the Boyz II Men devotees was top comic Jo Koy, a friend of the band who caught that show and, on Sunday, the Backstreet Boys at the Sphere with Wanya Morris and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. Iconic actor and recent Las Vegan Ving Rhames was also in the house and visited the guys backstage.
McCary left the group in 2003 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the condition limiting his mobility. He took the stage with the aid of a cane. But his voice still merits his former bandmate’s description.
Brown’s Vegas connection
Danny de los Reyes has been the Zac Brown Band’s percussionist since 2012. But Las Vegas entertainment enthusiasts know him from his days as a musician at pretty much every Las Vegas venue over the past four decades.
Reyes’ older brother, Walfredo, joined Chicago the same year Daniel started with Brown. Their father, Walfredo Reyes Sr., arrived from Puerto Rico in 1970, becoming the leader of the band Latin Fire and backed Wayne Newton for nearly two decades. The elder Reyes also performed with Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dionne Warwick, among other Vegas headliners.
Daniel Reyes will play the Sphere with Brown throughout the band’s six-show run from Dec. 12 to Jan. 10. Reyes likens the exertion of playing with Brown to performing three hours of karate. “That’s the kind of energy that you exert when you’re playing percussion in the level that we play,” he says.
The passion to perform runs in the family. Reyes Sr. is 92 years old. But as Danny says, “You know, he still grabs the sticks and says, ‘It’s showtime!’”