Lil Nas X, Monsta X, And 9 More Surprises From The 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival

Lil Nas X, Monsta X, And 9 More Surprises From The 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival




If you're going to pull off a shocking moment, Las Vegas is definitely the place to do it.


This weekend, an eclectic variety of artists did just that at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, which touched down at T-Mobile Arena for two nights of epic performances. From Miley's classic rock covers to Green Day's political jab, we've rounded up 11 of the festival's biggest and boldest surprises. Check it out:





  1. Lil Nas X joined the rodeo



    He wasn't billed on the lineup, and also you could imagine the hysteria that took over any time Lil Nas X suddenly galloped in to perform "Panini" (sans choreo, sadly). He bounded offstage just as rapidly, however returned soon after Camila Cabello's set for an encore of "Rodeo" and, obviously, the little cowboy song that could, "Old Town Road."






  2. Alicia Keys and Lewis Capaldi made each person cry



    Keys's hit-packed set — which included "No One," "Empire State of Mind," and "Girl On Fire" — reached its emotional peak any time once she welcomed Capaldi to the stage. The British singer-songwriter recently scored a smash with "Someone You Loved," and he and Keys beautifully belted the ballad with each other. The surprises didn't stop there — Keys also snuck a little bit of Post Malone's "Congratulations" into the live debut of her new song "Show Me Love." Is there anything she can't do?






  3. Miley Cyrus confused all of the dads with her vintage covers



    MC's first post-divorce concert was a crowd-pleasing spectacle. As we already noted, she rocked out to the live debut of her Ariana Grande and Lana Del Rey collab, "Don't Call Me Angel," before tearing through some of her most beloved solo hits. Although it was her cover songs that truly shook things up — Miley busted out Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" and Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," quipping to the audience, "My preference faces to be able to see out in the crowd are confused dads."









  4. T-Pain won the night



    Lil Nas X manned the requisite "special visitor slot on Friday, yet Saturday boasted a similarly hype surprise: T-Pain, who got the crowd going with truncated versions of his biggest hits. And, if you did not remember, the man has hits aplenty — he flew through "Good Life," All I Do Is Win," "Got Cash purchase U A Drank," and more.






  5. Halsey opened with a song only true fans appreciated



    Halsey's got a lot to look forward to, with her third album, Manic, on the way. However for her iHeartRadio set on Friday, she opted to dig into the archives, starting her efficiency with the 2015 Badlands cut "Gasoline." It wasn't all throwbacks, though — Halsey also took the possibility to perform new single "Graveyard" for the very first time.






  6. Backstreet Boys revamped their classics



    Backstreet's back, nevertheless they're not quite the same. The beloved boy musical group (man musical group) returned to Vegas for a set that dusted off some of their most iconic hits — with a twist. "Everybody" got a dubstep makeover, "I Want It That Way" got bolstered with a second-verse breakdown, and even the already-lit "Larger Than Life" boasted a fresher and louder arrangement.






  7. Cage the Elephant stripped down and went upside down



    You never really know what you're getting any time once you visualize Cage live, and that certainly rang true while in the band's efficiency on Friday. Frontman Matt Shultz was a wild man without plan — except to lose layers upon layers upon layers (seriously, how several layers?!) Of clothes while in the set. Barefoot and sweaty, he did a handstand at the face of the stage, then stripped all of the way down to a sleeveless nude bodysuit while strolling by way of the crowd. His trek ended on top of a railing near the production booth, where he sweetly thanked fans for their love and for being present. (As if we had any choice other than being fully mesmerized by this man.)






  8. Camila Cabello made "Señorita" sexy all on her own



    as well as dancing via live debuts of new singles "Shameless" and "Liar," Camila also treated fans to a solo rendition of "Señorita." And though we were all slightly bummed if she clarified early on that "Shawn's not here," it turns out the song's sultriness still holds up even once we don't have their onstage PDA to distract us.









  9. Chance the Rapper was equal parts hype man and minister



    Chano truly had something for each person. He turned all of the way up for "No Problem," then welcomed a squad of dancers for an exuberant rendition of "Hot Shower." However the rest of his set leaned toward the spiritual and introspective, with Chance doing his best Ben Gibbard impression on "Do You Remember," then bringing the praise for both the original and reprise versions of "Blessings." Good God!






  10. Green Day took aim at Trump with a choice lyric change



    The veteran rockers kicked off night one with a rousing rendition of "American Idiot" — on that album's 15th anniversary, no much less. To give the 2004 anthem a modern twist, they changed the lyric "I'm not a segment of a redneck agenda" to "I'm not a piece of a MAGA agenda," brilliantly calling out Trump's "Make America Good Again" motto. Zing!






  11. Monsta X's moves hypnotized each person while in their cameo in Steve Aoki's set



    LOL, JK, this is no surprise at all. Just an excuse to watch these mega-talented gentlemen in action!













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