The 2023 iHeartRadio Music Festival returned to Sin City last weekend (September 22 & 23) for two nights filled with iconic performers and unforgettable moments, and Celeb Secrets was on the grounds taking it all in while chatting with performers and special guests backstage.
Thousands of music fans flocked to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to see some of the biggest chart-toppers of all time, including Foo Fighters, Fall Out Boy, Kelly Clarkson, Kane Brown, Lil Wayne, Lil Durk, Lenny Kravitz, Miguel, Public Enemy, Sheryl Crow, Travis Scott, Tim McGraw, TLC and Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Before going inside, fans were treated to the all-new House of Music mixed-reality immersive experience that was inspired by the artists who performed on the main stage. Free and open to the public, spectators had the opportunity to explore over 15 interactive rooms, immersing themselves in the lives, music and passions of their favorite artists and brands.
Night 1 – September 22, 2023
With the big show starting approximately at 7:30pm, Indonesian pop star Agnez Mo got the crowd warmed up during the pre-show with her killer dance moves and fiery hit “Get Loose.”
“It was a crazy experience,” Agnez tells Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder backstage after her performance. “The fans were — I feel like the best word for it is present — they were present the entire time. They remember the songs… some of them remember the ‘Overdose’ lyrics, some of them remember ‘Get Loose’ lyrics, some of them were singing ‘Coke Bottle’ with me… so it was a good reminder that they are still watching and listening to my songs. It was amazing.”
Lenny Kravitz was the first performer of the evening, where he had the packed arena on their feet from the moment he began singing his classic cover of The Guess Who’s 1970 hit “American Woman.” After hosting and performing at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards back in March, the rock icon proved he is still one of the genre’s best by completely shredding it during “Fly Away,” “It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over,” “Believe” and “Again” before closing out his set with his fiery “Are You Gonna Go My Way.”
TLC shortly followed, putting the crowd in their feels by paying tribute to the late Lisa “LeftEye” Lopes throughout their entire set. The R&B legends made sure to perform all their hits during their time on stage, including their chart-topping cheating anthem “Creep,” “Ain’t Too Proud” and “What About Your Friends” before wrapping with “No Scrubs” and “Waterfalls.”
Country music was alive and well during night one of the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Festival, where artists like Tim McGraw, Sheryl Crow and Kane Brown brought their iconic hits to the Las Vegas stage. Brown’s set was full of surprises, as he welcomed both wife Katelyn for a sweet duet of their song “Thank God” and Khalid for their collab “Be Like That” before performing his new Phil Collins-inspired single “I Can Feel It” for the first time live.
All eyes were on Miguel at the T-Mobile Arena as he played his guitar alongside his live band, teasing new songs that may or may not be appearing on his upcoming project Viscera. Making sure that he included classic hits like “Adorn,” “How Many Drinks,” “Sky Walker,” “Sure Thing,” and “Don’t Forget My Love” — the 37-year-old also performed his song “Sure Thing,” which earned him the iHeartRadio Titanium Award. The honor is awarded to artists who have reached a threshold of 1 billion total audience spins across iHeartRadio stations of their hit song this year.
The night closed out with Lil Wayne, who busted out hit after hit like “John,” “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “A Milli,” “Lollipop,” “Blunt Blown,” “Rich As F**k,” “Love Me” and “Uproar,” Proving that Weezy is truly one of the best rappers of our generation, the award-winning artist also performed his new single “Kat Food” with support from his DJ and drummer, which he confirmed will be on his upcoming LP Tha Fix Before Tha VI.
Night 2 – September 23, 2023
After getting some rest from the day before, concertgoers were ready for another night of iconic performances and unforgettable moments in music history during night two of the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Festival. Getting warmed up with a performance from budding country artist Paul Cauthen during Saturday’s preshow, Public Enemy brought all the nostalgia with their classic “Harder Thank You Think” before singing newer songs like the DJ Premier-produced “State of the Union (STFU).”
Rock was heavily represented at Saturday’s lineup, as Foo Fighters made their iHeartFestival debut that was a performance for the books. The award-winning group made sure to cover all their biggest hits earned during the course of their nearly three-decade long career, including “Learn To Fly,” “My Hero,” and “Everlong.” Thirty Seconds to Mars followed with a set full of fan favorites, an Elvis Presley impersonator, and an epic closing of their song “The Kill,” where they brought fans up on stage to rock out to the track from the band’s second album A Beautiful Lie. Additionally, Fall Out Boy gave fans a taste of their So Much (Tour) Dust by delivering hit after hit from their discography before literally putting their heads on fire to close their set with a revamped cover of Billy Joel’s 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
The most talked about performer of the weekend, Travis Scott, closed out the second night of the iHeartFestival, giving fans a taste of what they can expect from his upcoming UTOPIA – CIRCUS MAXIMUS later this year. With just a DJ accompanying him, the 32-year-old rapper kicked things off by performing songs off UTOPIA, including “HYAENA,” “K-POP” — which exclusively debuted on iHeartRadio — “FE!N,” “TELEKENSIS” and “MELTDOWN.” Keeping the energy at unrealistically high levels, Travis made sure to belt out fan favorites like “NO BYSTANDERS,” “ANTIDOTE,” “SICKO MODE” and “GOOSEBUMPS” before wrapping his iconic set.
A ton of celeb guests were also spotted backstage, onstage and on the red carpet, including AJ McLean, Anna Aya, Ashlee Keating, Brian Austin Green, Cheryl Burke, Cynthia Bailey, Danielle Fishel, DINER, Gabby Windey and Robby Hoffman, Jana Kramer, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Little Image, Laura Marano, Lance Bass, Michael Turchin, Mitch Clark, Randy Spelling, Rider Strong, Sharna Burgess, Will Friedle and more.
Fans can experience some of the best moments from the iHeartRadio Music Festival on Hulu for the first time ever this year, as the streaming giant will feature a three-hour special on demand from October 10-31. For more information on the livestream line-up, please visit: https://www.hulu.com/