NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The two-day iHeartRadio Music Festival, where the music of the iHeartRadio app comes to life, came to a close Saturday night following a weekend of incredible performances by the biggest names in music. The Festival, which celebrated the success of the iHeartRadio all-in-one digital audio service, included performances by over 40 artists, both on the main stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on September 20 and 21 and at the all-new iHeartRadio Music Festival Village on Saturday afternoon.
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Ryan Seacrest kicked off the Festival Friday night at MGM Grand with performances by artists Robin Thicke, fun., Keith Urban, Muse, Tiesto, J. Cole, Elton John, Benny Benassi, Chris Brown, Katy Perry and Queen + Adam Lambert. Paul McCartney opened the second night, and reset the already high bar with an eight-song set that included a medley of songs combining work from his upcoming album New with some of his most classic hits. McCartney used the Festival stage to debut three new songs. The action continued throughout the evening with back-to-back top-notch performances including Zedd, Maroon 5, Tim McGraw, Miley Cyrus, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Bruno Mars, Phoenix, Miguel, Ke$ha featuring Joan Jett, Drake and Justin Timberlake.
The iHeartRadio Music Festival weekend was again notable for the unparalleled number and diversity of incredible performances, thrilling collaborations and special guests appearances, including Diddy, who helped kick off the Festival by introducing Robin Thicke to the stage for the opening performance of "Blurred Lines" on Friday night, and Britney Spears, who introduced Miley Cyrus on Saturday. Other presenters included Kate Hudson, Ashley Greene, Khloe Kardashian Odom and Floyd Mayweather. In addition, the Norwegian comedy duo, Ylvis, did a surprise performance of their viral hit video "The Fox."
The iHeartRadio Music Festival was a dominant social media topic throughout the weekend, and #iHeartRadio continues to trend with tweets and retweets from fans as well as artists and Festival presenters.
The weekend also included a gathering of over 10,000 music lovers at the new daytime iHeartRadio Music Festival Village, which featured live performances on two stages by nearly a dozen popular and up-and-coming artists including Miley Cyrus, The Wanted, Jason Derulo, The Band Perry, Avril Lavigne, Krewella, Cher Lloyd, twenty one pilots, Pete Tong, AWOLNATION and a special guest appearance by Ne-Yo. The Village also featured fan zones, games, concessions and interactive experiences hosted by the Festival's brand partners, including Macy's, MasterCard, Pepsi, Fruttare®, SMIRNOFF® Vodka, State Farm®, Matador® Beef Jerky and more. iHeartRadio also partnered with the Shriner's Children's Hospital, which received $1 from every ticket sold for The Village.
Highlights of the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival and Village:
- QUEEN, ADAM LAMBERT AND FUN. COLLABORATION: Former American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert joined the rock legends of Queen on the iHeartRadio Music Festival stage for a memorable 35-minute set featuring some of Queen's most iconic songs, including "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are the Champions" and "Who Wants to Live Forever." Pop-rock trio fun. also joined Queen and Adam Lambert on stage to close out the opening evening with "Somebody to Love" and "Fat Bottomed Girls."
- J.COLE DEBUTS CROOKED SMILE WITH TLC: Following a crowd pumping set with DJ and EDM music producer Tiesto, rapper J. Cole took the stage with the help of multiple guest performers. He kicked his performance off with a duet featuring Miguel, performing "Power Trip," followed by his first-ever live performance of "Crooked Smile" with the newly reunited group TLC.
- JOAN JETT JOINS KE$HA ON STAGE: Ke$ha gave a daring and entertaining solo performance that included spitting whipped cream into the audience, kissing a fan and sharing the stage with male dancers dressed as women. Rounding out this entertaining performance was rock legend Joan Jett who took the stage as a surprise guest to perform a duet of "Bad Reputation." The collaboration ended with the crowd singing "Happy Birthday" to the rock icon.
- ELTON JOHN DAZZLES IN RED: From the moment he sat down in his red rhinestone-adorned suit and matching fire-red piano, living legend Sir Elton John captivated the more than 11,000 people at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Friday night with classic hits like "The Bitch is Back," "Bennie and the Jets" and "I'm Still Standing," plus a new song, "Home Again," from his upcoming album The Diving Board. John also received a standing ovation following his performance of "Tiny Dancer."
- KATY PERRY ROCKS POPULAR HITS: Katy Perry delighted fans with a mash-up of her most popular hits, including "Wide Awake," "California Gurls," "Firework," "Part of Me" and "Teenage Dream." She also performed new songs, like recently released singles "ROAR" and "Dark Horse" with Juicy J.
- BRUNO MARS ROCKS THROUGH HIGH-ENERGY PERFORMANCE: Two-time iHeartRadio Music Festival performer Bruno Mars gave another crowd captivating performance with upbeat hits like "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Treasure" before transitioning to more heartfelt, passionate numbers like "If I Was Your Man." He also included "Runaway Baby" and finished his set with his latest single, "Gorilla."
- MILEY CYRUS CRIES DURING "WRECKING BALL": Miley Cyrus performed twice Saturday, first at the afternoon outdoor iHeartRadio Music Festival Village, and then took main stage at MGM Grand on Saturday night. For both provocative performances Cyrus dressed in all white, wearing a tight corset and high wasted shorts during the day and a see-through mesh dress for the nighttime event. She performed four songs, opening with "We Can't Stop," followed by "Party In the USA" and closed with an emotional rendition of "Wrecking Ball."
- JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE CLOSES FESTIVAL: Justin Timberlake closed out the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival with a 40-minute performance that concluded the 11-hour music festival. Timberlake's set included three new songs from his upcoming album The 20/20 Experience — 2 of 2 and mega-hits like "Mirror" and "SexyBack."
This year's two-day iHeartRadio Music Festival brought to life the music of the iHeartRadio app and offered fans an opportunity to enjoy a weekend of incredible live music and surprise performances by their favorite artists. Throughout the year, iHeartRadio delivers everything listeners want in an all-in-one platform: Instant access to more than 1,500 radio stations from across the country, user-created Custom Stations inspired by a favorite artist or song, thousands of curated digital stations "Perfect For" any mood or activity, and the new iHeartRadio Talk feature giving users access to the best on-demand news, talk and entertainment content available today.
True to radio's commitment to serve the communities in which we live and work, the iHeartRadio Music Festival has partnered annually with a number of nonprofit organizations. In the past three years, the Festival has helped raise $1 million for a number of national charities, including the American Association of Cancer Research, the Alliance for Lupus Research, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Ryan Seacrest Foundation, Young Audiences of New York, Eric Trump Foundation, CureDuchenne and many more. Additionally, The Festival has created dozens of irreplaceable memories for a number of critically ill children and their families through its partnership with Make-a-Wish Foundation and other similar organizations.
The iHeartRadio Music Festival was heard live across Clear Channel radio stations nationwide and streamed live at iheartradio.yahoo.com and on PlayStation®3. The Festival will be televised as a two-night primetime special on The CW Network Monday, Sept. 30 (night one) at 8-10 p.m. EST/PST and Tuesday, Oct. 1 (night two) at 8-10 p.m. EST/PST, to launch the network's fall season.
ABOUT CLEAR CHANNEL MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT
With 243 million monthly listeners in the U.S., Clear Channel Media and Entertainment has the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America. Clear Channel Media and Entertainment serves 150 markets through 840 owned radio stations, and the company's radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital radio, satellite radio, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company's radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced auto dashes, on iPads and smartphones, and used via navigation systems. iHeartRadio, Clear Channel's digital radio platform, is the No. 1 all-in-one digital audio service with over 225 million downloads; it reached its first 20 million registered users faster than any digital service in Internet history.
The company's operations include radio broadcasting, online and mobile services and products, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation. Clear Channel Media & Entertainment is a division of CC Media Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: CCMO), a leading global media and entertainment company. More information on the company can be found at ClearChannel.com.
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