Set-list: I limit my concert reviews to 2 paragraphs and 3 numerical ratings for a reason, I won’t be able to stop raving about my favorite artists. 5SOS are the epitome of this. As my fourth 5SOS tour within an 11 year period, I can confidently say that The 5 Seconds of Summer Show is their most impressive and ambitious tour yet. Ok so set-list. “You Don’t Go To Parties” is hands down my favorite song off of 5SOS5 and probably one of my all-time favorite songs from the Australian band and was probably the prettiest performance of the night with a sonically perfect lead vocal from Calum Hood. I was STARVING for a throwback track and they delivered with “Heartbreak Girl” and “Don’t Stop” from their debut album, both climbing up the list as two of my favorite songs they performed during the glitzy show. Lastly, the transition between “Vapor” and “Waste the Night”, two standouts from the sophomore album Sounds Good, Feels Good was probably one of the best live transitions I have ever heard. As someone who has been a fan of this band for over a decade, I can confidently say that they did not disappoint with their set-list.

Performance quality: Maybe it was the gravitas of 5SOS5 being toured for the first time, the feeling of watching my favorite band at one of the most iconic venues in the US, or the overwhelming feeling of pride and nostalgia for this band that I grew up with as my agemates, but this show, and setlist, unlocked the most heightened emotional response I have had at a concert since my first time seeing One Direction and 5SOS in 2013. From the moment the curtain dropped, and Luke, Calum, Mikey and Ashton appeared on the massive, checkered stage at the Forum, it was game on. They opened with “Bad Omens”, which is their most sonically ambitious song (think young Coldplay), leaving the crowd absolutely feral. Their ability to make some of their most emotional songs big, stadium feeling ballads that lift the crowd’s spirits is something the band should be extremely proud of. Their classic crowd-interaction interludes felt extremely honest and casual, almost as if they were in a room filled with their friends. Their walls were completely down, and it shown through their performances. The show left me craving more, and also elicited feelings of sadness knowing this is the last tour before their (HOPEFULLY, LORD I AM BEGGING YOU) brief hiatus. So proud of them and their career achievements thus far, and will be waiting patiently until they’re ready to return to the limelight.

Crowd Reception: 5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 5/5

Overall rating: 5/5

Set list: This was my first time seeing the iconic trio so my rating is bound to be inflated. Let’s just say I was fully drenched with sweat after the 3rd song. Their second and third tracks of the night for the 30,000 person audience were “Hold On” and “SOS”. Be so forreal right now! The only thing I could compare it to was the A$AP Ferg tour in 2017 when he performed Work and Shabba back to back. Not only did the JoBros sing all of the favorites from their earlier albums, but they also threw in some of their solo work like Jealous and Cake by the Ocean. And the girlies were here for ALL OF IT. Oh, and they brought out Big Rob. It doesn’t get more nostalgic than that!

Performance Quality: As mentioned on THE WEEKLY BAECAY’s September episode, the Jonas Brothers did not miss a single note. Trust me, we were counting. From their prepubescent wails on songs like “Burnin’ Up” and “Lovebug”, to their latest work from albums like Happiness Begins, their range was out of control. Their band was bursting with color (literally and figuratively) and you could hear it! All of their mega-talented background performers brought the heat, everyone was on their A-game and they kept the energy up throughout the 3.5 hour long show. That would be my only critique of the show -- it definitely felt like 3.5 hours. However, with a discography as long as theirs, I get it.

Crowd Reception: 5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 3.5/5

Overall rating: 4.25/5

Set list: This was my second time seeing CRJ in less than a year, and this show was just as fabulously pop as the last. Jepsen had just released the antithesis to her 2022 release The Loneliest Time titled The Loveliest Time, and decided to bring it to her LA based fans on a three night stint at the new venue in DTLA.Although she did perform majority newer songs, my favorite songs of the night were, you guessed it, the cult favorites from earlier works. “The Loneliest Time” is ironically one of the most fun pop songs I’ve seen live, “Want You in My Room” was my favorite per usual as it’s one of my favorite pop songs of all time, and “Run Away With Me” never misses.

Performance quality: Carly Rae Jepsen is one of the OG pop princesses of the mid 2000’s. Similar to Charli XCX, her shows are always ultra-fan focused. Meaning everything from the live renditions of her songs, to her setlist, to her looks, were all performance aspects that were specifically catered towards her fanbase. The only flag I’ll raise is that the continuity of the storytelling within the show felt less put together than her 2022 tour, but that could also be due to the nature of the mini residency-turned-pop-party.

Crowd Reception: 3.5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 4.5x/5

Overall rating: 3.75/5

Set list: Five minutes before 5 Seconds of Summer walked out on stage at The Hollywood Palladium, my bff and PR director Jasmin turned to me and said "I'm scared". Why? Because our favorite band from high school was about to rip our hearts out of our chests without any warning. The set-list was 100% curated by the band from start to finish, which made it even more enjoyable knowing they were putting on a show for us fans with intention. The opened with sleeper bop "No Shame" from their 2020 album Calm, shocked us all with the song that skyrocketed their careers in our joint high school years "She Looks so Perfect", snuck in an unreleased song, a fan favorite deep cut "Disconnected", and closed with their most popular song of all time, "Youngblood". I lost my mind during "Teeth", watched Jasmin's eyes roll to the back of her head when the first chord of "She Looks So Perfect" hit, and almost shed a tear during "Take My Hand". I'm yet to fully recover.

Performance Quality: I didn't know what I was walking into when I arrived at the Palladium one week ago for this show. I knew we'd have a good time, just like I had the past 2 times I have seen the band over their 10 years of making music together and stealing hearts, but their growth was so exponential that it was shocking. 5SOS is a live band. Their confidence in their craft as instrumentalists, performers, and vocalists is something they should be proud of, and something that I am in continued awe of. Proud of you boys!!!

Crowd Reception: 5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 3/5

Overall rating: 4/5

Set list: Ate. Miss XCX opened with "Lightning", 80's inspired synth pop anthem that will make you throw it in a circle. And that is what we did. Charli XCX didn't miss with a single song selected from her discography. She played the majority of the discography of her latest album Crash, as well as fan favorites from past projects like "party 4 u" (one of my favorite songs of all time), "Vroom Vroom", "Boys", "1999", and "Unlock It". And yes, Troye Sivan and Kim Petras joined her on stage. I'll let you do the math of how much those performances slapped. My favorite? Hard to say as I write this 3 months later (because it took me that long to recover), but it was great to hear my favorite track from Crash, the sultry "Move Me" live, and "Twice" was sneakily my favorite choreo moment of the night. A stand up performance by the self proclaimed "biggest popstar in the f*cking world"!

Performance Quality: What do you think?! This was Charli XCX is in her popstar era so the performance quality was taken to new heights with her introduction to full choreography for her full set, for the FIRST time! She bodied. I've never been in a more excited crowd in my life, and I've seen Kanye West and One Direction live multiple times, lmao . . .

Crowd Reception: 5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 4.5/5

Overall rating: 4.75/5

Set list: There are few artists that I would willingly watch on a Monday night, but Justin Bieber is most DEFINITELY one of them. I am, afterall, a Belieber of 12+ years. On the first of the two night stint of his Los Angeles stop on his longawaited post-lockdown tour, JB wowed us all by playing all of his hits from his entire library (minus My World, I know, sadly, no "One Less Lonely Girl"). From "Baby", to "All that Matters", to "Love Yourself", to "Yummy", I could list the whole set-list but I will stop myself there. The special guest list was jam packed, with Leon Bridges, Don Toliver, and Quavo all gracing the stage. The only thing missing was opener JADEN joining him on stage for a rendition of "Never Say Never".

Performance Quality: One thing that is clear when you watch a Justin Bieber show is that he was born to do this. It comes so natural that you can tell he doesn't even have to be there mentally to give a top tier show physically. The choreography, vocals, and Bieber-isms like his signature toddler stomp across the stage during "Anyone" (has definitely graced your fyp on TikTok) were alive and well. I'm a stan until the grave.

Crowd Reception: 4.5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 5/5

Overall rating: 4.75/5

Set list: We spent a week crafting the perfect 30 minute set. It had to slap and get the crowd going as TGBEAM was opening up for one of his FAVORITE artists growing up, Lil Yachty. He started off with "TEENAGE VICES", a slapper that is the definition of a TGBEAM track, and closed out with his most popular track to date "Day Trip", and a newer song that we believe is going to skyrocket, "kant sleep". Real black boy rockstar sh*t!

Performance Quality: If there's one thing a Gbile knows how to do, it's how to own the stage. Every time TGBEAM steps on a stage, he commands it with a star quality that rivals those of his predecessors. His star shines bright and will only continue to on his rise!

CAN'T RATE LMAO THIS IS MY BABY BROTHER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT!

Set list: While I'm a fan of a handful of glaive's tracks, (s/o "detest me", "1984", and "prick"), there's a good chunk of songs that I'm not yelling in my car on the 101. However, he was able to transition many of his songs so seamlelessly into the next that distinguishing from fan favorites to hidden joints wasn't jarring. Standout performances included "detest me", and when he broughout out Kid Laroi to perform a track together.

Performance Quality: I gotta give this North Carolina born and bred youngin' a standing O for his crowd interaction skills. He knew how to keep the crowd engaged, and he treated us like his friends. At one point in his set, he chucked his phone into the crowd so his friend and longtime collaborator ericdoa could see him perform.

Crowd Reception: 4/5

Venue/Stage Design: 3.5/5

Overall rating: 3.75/5

Set list: This is the key reason why this show has one of my lowest ratings. I'm a big A$AP Rocky fan, but mainly because of who he is, and for the handful of songs in his discography that have shaped my taste for years. I also believe that a lot of the fans in a similar demographic to mine felt the same. That's why there was a tad of disappointment due to the lack of key favorites from both him and the A$AP Mob's repertoire on the set list. However, he came through with "Fashion Killa" and newer fan favorite "Praise the Lord".

Performance Quality: A$AP Rocky knows how to put on a show. His bars were unmatched and he kept the crowd interaction on lock. There's no arguing that!

Crowd Reception: 2.5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 4/5

Overall rating: 3.25/5

Set list: FIRST CONCERT I ATTENDED DURING COVID!!! The setlist is the only aspect keeping the rating away from a perfect 5/5. One of my co-hosts and BFFs from HS and I have been to every Bleachers tour since their inception. Meaning we know which bangers are expected to find a home on their set-lists. And while they did deliver by playing all of the crowd favorites, their renditions of songs like "Foreign Girls" and "Dream of Mickey Mantle" lost me. I FULLY understand wanting to inject newness into songs you've been playing for years, but tracks like those need to be played in their original flavor in order to have the same magic.

Performance Quality: Bleachers is ALWAYS a 10/10 when it comes to high energy performances with strong vocals and off the wall instrumentation. Their music was written for the stage. 99% of their songs sound better performed live. It's an out of body experience being in the crowd at one of their shows.

Crowd Reception: 5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 3/5

Overall rating: 4/5

Set list: Miss XCX blessed us with a set list comprised of every song from her latest album, self-titled Charli, fan favorites (that made for great live performances) from her 2017 mixtape Pop 2,, like "Unlock It", popular singles like "Boys", and most importantly, cult classics like the incredible, one of a kind "Vroom Vroom". However, it wouldn't be a Charli XCX concert if she didn't remind us all of how she got here, so she made sure to throw in her iconic track that skyrocketed Icona Pop to fame: "I Love It".

Performance Quality: From the moment Charli stepped on stage, two things were clear: she was born to perform, and it's easy for her to put on a great show. Her vocals, crowd involvement, and stage presence were clearly so easy breezy for her that she not only appeared effortless, but like she was performing in her sleep.

Crowd Reception: 5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 4/5

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Set list: Pretty much a compilation of songs from his latest fire release, Die Lit, and some of his greatest hits from his debut album. No complaints here.

Performance Quality: All hype. I was gonna insert another "no complaints here", but I'm going to refrain myself, because I do believe that it is possible to deliver a balls to the wall concert and also rap your ass off, Exhibit A & B: Travis Scott and A$AP Ferg. While I commend Carti for hyping up the crowd to the point where the energy of the audience was unlike anything I have ever seen before, I would be quicker to rate the show higher had he done more than rap a few bars over his tracks and let us rap the rest.

Crowd Reception: 5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 3/5

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Set list: Banger after banger. While Chainz did make sure to play songs off his latest release, he made sure to pay much needed homage to all of the fan-favorites.

Performance Quality: Have to give it to Chainz for still putting on a hell of a hype show while sitting in a wheelchair, when he very well could have cancelled the remainder of his tour.

Crowd Reception: 4/5

Venue/Stage Design: 5/5

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Set list: Zedd made sure to keep the crowd dancing with smooth transitions and most of his most popular hits like "Beautiful Now" and "Clarity".

Performance Quality: In order to keep the crowd engaged, Zedd made sure to engage with the Chicago audience through short spurts of hype dialogue, turning the Aragon Ballroom into a rave.

Crowd Reception: 3/5

Venue/Stage Design: 4/5

Overall rating: 3/5

Set list: Hate to say that I was extremely disappointed with the lack of original content in Snakehips' set list. Instead of playing their original songs, the majority of the set consisted of remixes. We get it, you can remix rap tracks on your laptop, so can my 17 year old brother.

Performance Quality: I'm going to start this off by saying that only one member of the DUO that is Snakehips was present. Even though there isn't much DJ's can really do in terms of solo "performances", I don't think we should give them a free pass. This was the worst DJ performance I have seen in awhile. Sorry.

Crowd Reception: 3/5

Venue/Stage Design: 2/5

Overall rating: 2/5

Set list: Easily the best set-list of the season. Not only did Bleachers seamlessly connect the storyline of their latest release Gone Now, but they also made sure to include plenty of favorites from their OG album. Couldn't have been better.

Performance Quality: I repeat: couldn't have been better. If anyone knows how to put on a show, it is Jack Antonoff. The group's energy and charisma was through the roof, and Antonoff's live vocals partnered with the plethora of instruments was literal music to the ears. It shouldn't come as a shock that I couldn't give the group anything less than perfect scores across the board.

Crowd Reception: 5/5

Venue/Stage Design: 5/5

Overall rating: 5/5