The 2022 iHeartRadio Alter Ego presented by Capital One brought together fans new and old of alternative rock, and Celeb Secrets was on the grounds soaking it all in.
Taking place at the “Fabulous” Forum in the Inglewood neighborhood of Los Angeles, the event featured unforgettable performances from Imagine Dragons, Måneskin, All Time Low, Kings of Leon, Coldplay, twenty one pilots, Willow, and surprise guest Avril Lavigne.
Imagine Dragons were the first performers of the night, kicking things off with a high energy set packed with their biggest hits. The band by exploding confetti into the audience while rocking out to their chart-topping “Believer,” followed by “Thunder,” “Enemy,” and “Follow You” to a roaring crowd.
“What a pleasure to be here, experiencing real music with real, live people,” frontman Dan Reynolds declared to the crowd before closing their set with “Radioactive” and another show of confetti for fans.
Italian rock band Måneskin followed next, captivating the audience with a performance of their breakout hit “Beggin,” leaving us begging for more! They satisfied the crowd with high energy performances of “For Your Love” and “I Wanna Be Your Slave.”
It was then Coldplay’s turn to command the stage, stunning the crowd with mega hits “Higher Power,” “Clocks,” “Fix You,” “Viva La Vida” and “Power of the People,” which Chris Martin added was the band’s “first proper rock song.” The award-winning group continued to thrill the senses with an acoustic performance of “Yellow” before finishing off their set with a mesmerizing production of “Sky Full of Stars.” During the romantic love song, two attendees celebrated an engagement as a man proposed to his partner while glowing wristbands lit up the arena.
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Our own Nona Melkonian was vibin’ along with the lyrics and high energy mood of the performance. She was surprised to see Coldplay perform earlier in the show, considering they were the oldest and most recognizable band in the lineup. Chris Martin added, “some of his songs were written before Willow was born,” but the curveball of having a typical headliner in the middle of the show was a refreshing surprise for what was to follow.
Humbled to hit the stage after Coldplay, All Time Low took to the stage with “Disaster” and one of their latest songs “PMA.”
“Can you believe Coldplay played before us!?,” guitarist Jack Barakat asked. “I don’t even believe it.”
The band held its own with hits like “Once in a Lifetime” and “Monsters” to keep the crowd on its feet.
Speaking of holding their own, Willow proved just that during her breakout set. Daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow unleashed her inner rock star with a performance of “Transparent Soul” and “Meet Me at Our Spot” and others.
Kings of Leon was next and got right to it with their hit “Crawl” and “Waste a Moment.” “Sex on Fire” brought energy into the venue, fans swayed along to the moody “Closer” and roared back at vocalist-guitarist Caleb Followill when he threw the mic out for everyone to sing the chorus of “Use Somebody.”
Before the twenty one pilots took the stage, the crowd was stunned to learn there was a surprise guest and it was none other than Avril Lavigne. Avril stunned the crowded with an unexpected performance of her hits like “Girlfriend” and “The Best Damn Thing,” along her early 2000s anthems “My Happy Ending and “Sk8er Boi.”
The evening wrapped with Twenty One Pilots, a duo known to consistently excite audiences with wildly entertaining live performances. Vocalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun make a lot of noise by captivating the audience with “Stressed Out” and “Heathens” at the start of the set. The guys played a wild version of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” and incorporated a bit of My Chemical Romance’s “I’m Not Okay” into their own hit “Shy Away.”
The entire show was a refreshing blend of old and new alternative rock, broadcasted live across over 75 Alternative and Rock iHeartRadio stations and LiveOne, Inc., and an unforgettable experience to those at the arena, as well as those tuning in from afar. We can’t wait for 2023!
Writing and reporting by Nona Melkonian.
