• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Comedy
  • Music
  • TV Recaps
  • Streamliner
  • Vulture Lists
  • Books
  • Theater
  • Art
  • The Gold Rush
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • About Vulture
  • How to Pitch
  • Newsletters
  • Games
  • Vulture Festival
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
Subscribe Give A Gift
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Comedy
  • Music
  • TV Recaps
  • Streamliner
  • Vulture Lists
  • Books
  • Theater
  • Art
  • The Gold Rush
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • About Vulture
  • How to Pitch
  • Newsletters
  • Games
  • Vulture Festival
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin It
+Comments Leave a Comment
Advertiser Content from
This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.
Sponsored By JBL Sponsored By JBL
July 20, 2021

The Return Of Live Music and Summer Nights

The stars turned out on Santa Monica Pier to kick off JBL True Summer.

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for JBL
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for JBL

When Lizzo arrives in a cropped pink wig, wearing a t-shirt with her face plastered on it, the evening is pretty much made – especially if she heads over to the DJ booth along with her crew, grabs ahold of the side and leans back to show off her twerking skills. The “Good As Hell” songstress was one of many notable names that headed to the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday night in Los Angeles to celebrate the launch of JBL True Summer series of live shows.

Models Delilah and Amelia Hamlin, Flip or Flop’s Tarek El Moussa and his Selling Sunset fiancé Heather Rae Young, Los Angeles Lakers center Andre Drummond and All American co-stars Samantha Logan and Michael Evans Behling sipped custom margaritas and ended their pandemic-induced live music drought as Jason Derulo and Bebe Rexha took the stage for back-to-back sets. The crowd included 400 privately invited guests, and some Rexha fans that had won tickets to the show. Everyone chatted about the latest trends on TikTok and people’s upcoming concert plans, a sign that live music is roaring back to life.

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for JBL

The evening kicked off with Lizzo’s official DJ, Sophia Eris, spinning everything from Estelle to Madonna — and a little Lizzo sprinkled in, of course. Attendees took photos in a lifeguard tower and posed in a photo booth with a JBL speaker wall backdrop. And everyone was invited to support the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA’s) #SaveOurStages campaign, which JBL has pledged to donate a portion of its summer sales to in support of workers and musicians impacted by the pandemic. Guests posted pictures and memories of their favorite venues to their socials in honor of the initiative. A line wrapped around the premises as people waited to play arcade-style basketball for a chance to win some swag: everything from JBL Tour Pro+TWS True Wireless Noise-Cancelling Earbuds to fanny packs and speakers, which winners had the chance to have customized with everything from palm trees to monograms to pet portraits.

The unofficial theme of the night, of course, was that live music was officially back — and everyone, from the guests to the performers, was buzzing with excitement. Amelia Hamlin took to Instagram to post “First concert in 18 months down! Thank you so much for having me, JBL Audio,” while others in the crowd jumped up and down proclaiming, “I can’t believe I’m at a concert!”

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for JBL
I could not be more excited because we are out here, y’all. It’s been a very, very long time since I’ve had this kind of interaction! — Jason Derulo

Finally, the main event and the moment everyone was waiting for: Derulo took the stage at 8 p.m. sharp, opening with “Wiggle.” The artist and his backup dancers broke into a sweat as they continued on with “Let Me Take You Dancing,” “Swallow” and “Savage Love,” to which he challenged the crowd to show off their dance moves from his viral TikTok compilation video. After ditching his jean jacket, which elicited squeals from some female admirers, Derulo flashed a grin and said, “I could not be more excited because we are out here, y’all. It’s been a very, very long time since I’ve had this kind of interaction!” He proceeded to address the pandemic: “Everything happens for a reason. I just hope that we all come out of this [differently] than when we got into it.” He said going forward, he will treasure every human interaction he has – “Every handshake is a little more sacred. Every hug is more sacred. Everything hello seems like something totally different.”

By the time “Talk Dirty” came around, the audience found its stride and everyone had some degree of wiggle in their step. Derulo ended the show by thanking his band and JBL, while his DJ called him the “the new king of pop” and signed off with Derulo’s notorious, name-proclaiming calling card (“Jason Deruuuuuuulo”).

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for JBL

Then Bebe Rexha, who walked the red carpet in a black leather ensemble, appeared on stage now clad in a red leather dress. She launched into “Break My Heart Myself” before continuing on with “Me Myself and I,” which had everyone on their feet. During “Sacrifice,” she hopped into the crowd and got up close and personal with fans. Rexha continued to parade through the audience during “Hey Mama” where she enlisted some attendees as backup singers and directed a twerking contest. At one point in the show, Rexha’s hair extensions came loose and she tossed them to the side of the stage, playfully joking “Sorry. This is my first show back in two years!” She declared that her false lashes were likely to be next and that her dress was creating a boob sweat situation.

Rexha commanded the stage with a sense of enthusiasm that made it hard to believe she’d taken any time off from playing live. She wrapped up the night with her country hit “Meant to Be,” eager to fulfill another promise she made during her performance: “I don’t drink before my show but after this, I’m having not one, not two, I’m having like five drinks. I don’t care,” she declared, consumed with the excitement of being back to performing live.

This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.

Tags:

  • advertiser content
  • new york stories
  • technology
  • jbl
  • true summer
  • bebe rexha
  • jason derulo
  • lizzo
  • recap
  • More
+Comments Leave a Comment
The Return Of Live Music and Summer Nights

Most Viewed Stories

  1. Emily Henry Cracked the Modern Romance Novel
  2. Vanderpump Rules Recap: Showering With Affection
  3. Ted Lasso Recap: Waiting for Zava
  4. You Missed These Easter Eggs on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
  5. Phoebe Bridgers Says Stans ‘F- - -ing Bullied’ Her Over Bo Burnham Photos
  1. Emily Henry Cracked the Modern Romance Novel
  2. Vanderpump Rules Recap: Showering With Affection
  3. Ted Lasso Recap: Waiting for Zava
  4. Succession Season-Premiere Recap: One Percent
  5. The Real Housewives of New Jersey Recap: Pizza Pie in the Eye

Editor’s Picks

  • the national interest
    The Strange Trials of Our First Criminal President The Strange Trials of Our First Criminal President
  • what we know
    Donald Trump Has Finally Been Indicted Donald Trump Has Finally Been Indicted
  • early and often
    Trump’s Indictment: The Immediate Political Fallout Trump’s Indictment: The Immediate Political Fallout

The Latest

slippery slopes Yesterday at 10:45 p.m.
Everything You Need to Know About Gwyneth Paltrow’s Ski-Collision Trial Both sides present closing arguments to the jury.
law and order Yesterday at 10:25 p.m.
Jury Sides With Gwyneth Paltrow in Ski Trial of the Century Paltrow will be awarded $1 in damages.
new music Yesterday at 10:12 p.m.
Kesha Shares Snippets of New Music on SoundCloud Part of an upcoming project from the singer.
theater review Yesterday at 10:00 p.m.
Life of Pi Is Best When Its Fangs Are Visible Needs more feral tigerishness, less cat-on-your-lap warmth.
overnights Yesterday at 9:01 p.m.
Ghosts Recap: Cod-blocked Hetty and Trevor go from basement hookups to letting everyone in on their secret.
overnights Yesterday at 8:00 p.m.
The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Recap: Massaging the Truth The only worthwhile thing about this episode is watching Porsha try to make sense of Mormonism.
constitutional law Yesterday at 5:53 p.m.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Ski Trial Wraps Up With the Public’s Right to Reaction Shots After the plaintiff argued that Winston Churchill would have appreciated the proceedings.
dream on Yesterday at 5:43 p.m.
Will Daisy Jones & the Six Actually Go on Tour? It looks like the band could be getting back together!
trailer mix Yesterday at 4:15 p.m.
The Universe Is Conspiring Against Joaquin Phoenix Director Ari Aster says it’s “Jewish Lord of the Rings, but he’s just going to his mom’s house.”
chat room Yesterday at 3:25 p.m.
Swarm’s Heather Simms Thinks Detective Greene Is Still Looking for Dre “Loretta comes with a level of empathy and integrity that you would want if a murder or some horrible crime happened to you.”
stan culture Yesterday at 3:05 p.m.
Phoebe Bridgers Says Stans ‘F- - -ing Bullied’ Her Over Bo Burnham Photos She was pictured with the comedian on the way to her father’s funeral.
overnights Yesterday at 2:29 p.m.
Star Trek: Picard Recap: Utter Disaster This was a really bad plan.
yo me transformo Yesterday at 2:25 p.m.
Replicating Rosalía When the Spanish singer’s tour didn’t come to Peru, a YouTuber spent six figures recreating it.
on the road Yesterday at 2:17 p.m.
The Soaring Costs of Touring Under a Drag Ban “We had to make sure to have at least one armed security guard.”
oh yeah? Yesterday at 1:54 p.m.
Scott Pilgrim Gets an Extra Life as an Anime, and the Whole Cast Is Back Scott Pilgrim was once ve-gone, but now it will be-back.
vulture 10x10 Yesterday at 12:04 p.m.
The Basketball Puzzle 28-Across, Five Letters: The Legend of Zelda currency.
twinning! Yesterday at 11:39 a.m.
Rachel Weisz Plays God (Twice Over) in Dead Ringers It’s like Twitches but with gynos.
the breakfast club Yesterday at 11:23 a.m.
The Breakfast Club Is Bringing the Morning Mess to BET Making the show — already syndicated in over 90 radio markets — practically inescapable.
coming soon Yesterday at 10:39 a.m.
Barry to Meet Its End in Season 4 A full trailer gives a better look at Barry’s life in prison.
it's taylor swift Yesterday at 10:17 a.m.
You Missed These Easter Eggs on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Taylor is making the whole place shimmer in clues.
More Stories
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Comedy
  • Music
  • What To Stream
  • About Vulture
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Accessibility
vulture is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.