BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It was a night of Gen Z elation as Big Time Rush took the main Steel Stage on Friday at Musikfest.
Pop lovers swarmed into the festival's first clear night in what felt like an eternity for the pride of Deluth (as described in the 2009-13 Nickelodeon TV show "Big Time Rush" — none of the singers actually were born in Minnesota).
It was an instant party as the audience jumped to their feet cheering. A warm-up of openers Sorelle and Crash Adams helped gear up the crowd before they worked their way through Nickelodeon-era hits and new bops.
The quartet now all are in their early 30s, and it seem to work well for members Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos PenaVega, and Logan Henderson.
All four shared the stage without one in particular getting a major spotlight, but Maslow and Handerson often came close.
It was the group's second time in the area as they continue to catapult their pandemic-era revival into an equally energetic and nostalgic touring act.
It could be argued that other Musikfest acts this year also are focused on millennial nostalgia (Ludacris and the Black Eyed Peas) or the nostalgia of their parents (ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Slash)
But for Friday night? The bulk of the crowd seemed safely within the "20-something" demographic of those who watched the band's initial rise on the Nickelodeon show.
As if spitting in the face of Friday's severe weather alert, the band used the clearing weather to excite the crowd even further.
"Bethlehem! We missed you so much we had to come back for more," PenaVega shouted to the crowd.
"Now the rain's not here — so we're going extra hard tonight," Henderson followed.
After three full-length albums, four TV show seasons, a feature-length TV film and a near-decade break — the group is back with a vengeance, with a fourth album, "Another Life," released last year and nearly nonstop touring since reviving the group in 2021.
Yes, their sound is a bit juvenile. Yes, the group is and always has come off as a manufactured act (because it was).
But! That does not mean their songs are not fun, or that the crowd did not have a great time.
New and old sounds mix
Dozens of handmade signs from the audience — and some some fans who admitted seeing the group more than a dozen times — were brought onstage for an acoustic rendering of the song "'Worldwide."
Right in the front, a "fan since 2009" sign was being proudly shown, and other fans were wearing the iconic "tree hats" from the show.
And the setlist seemed constructed to appease those dedicated fans, with more than half the songs being selected from the group's first two albums.
To a listener who came in with only a vague memory of what was and was not part of the band's initial run, the new songs blended well with the old.
And the group's vocals and performances still hold up for the music released at the time of the show's airing.
A real highlight came in the harmonies of the acoustic span of "Cover Girl," "Ask You Tonight" and "Worldwide."
A triumphant three-song encore of "Till I Forget About You," "Big Time Rush" and "Boyfriend" finally broke the tension of those.
Instrumentalists were tight, and the energy was kept up the whole time.
Big Time Rush in Bethlehem for Musikfest🫣 pic.twitter.com/sOZgV54a3h
— LVN | Jay Bradley (@JayRBradley) August 10, 2024
The choreography was simple and not too flashy, but enough to keep the stage dynamic.
The background video feed to the stage was essentially something generic you would find at the end of a YouTube video. But that's not what one comes to see at an early 2010's sweetheart group concert, anyway.
Is Big Time Rush going to win a Grammy for those compositions anytime soon? Probably not.
But that didn't make it less of a special night for those out for a fun time or to have a throwback to one of their favorite shows as a kid.
Hint at future work
The band hinted at some big news in the future, including a potential return to the screen.
"I cannot confirm or deny that we may be working on a Big Time Rush movie," PenaVega said. "But you didn't hear it from me.
"I cannot confirm or deny."
Maslow did, however, confirm that the group is working on a new album.
Opening acts pair well
The lovable three-part light pop harmony of Ohio's Sorelle trio paired nicely with the pretty-boy pop rock of Toronto's Crash Adams as warmups to BTR, which could be said meets in the middle.
Sorelle members expressed gratitude for the opportunity, saying that it was their first really big live show since they competed on Season 23 of TV's "The Voice."
Both groups emphasized their social media presence and antics a lot as an appeal to follow them into the future, which did at times distract from the show, but can be forgiven for artists that rely on it.
Both groups, especially Crash Adams singer Rafaele Massarelli, ensured the audience stayed involved and engaged.
A crowd favorite moment was when they asked if there were any rappers in the crowd, and rap artist RMS joined them onstage for a freestyle verse.
Crazy moment where Crash Adams (apparently) pulled a rapper from the crowd and it was NJ artist RMS and he pulled this freestyle out pic.twitter.com/YQWY2VP9Ob
— LVN | Jay Bradley (@JayRBradley) August 10, 2024
Overall, a satisfying show for those looking for a fun time absent of grandiose notions.
One can now only hope that the rest of Musikfest's final days hold out on bad weather as it did for this concert.
