This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.
The editors at HC Fordham are huge fans of music, but don’t often make it to concerts and festivals. Soo many people. And in the summer: flash tats and cropped tops everywhere. But when Her Campus National offered free tickets to the Billboard Hot 100 Festival, we said hell yeah. Even the one-hour commute by train or car wouldn’t keep us away.
The Saturday daytime lineup was a great start to the festival. The British female group, Little Mix, gave a dynamite performance that included their hit song “Salute” and brand-new single “Black Magic”. They also absolutely slayed some a cappella numbers. Jason Derulo came on at the end of the afternoon and delivered a super high-energy set that included a dance break in every song. In between sets, there were plenty of opportunities to walk around the awesome venue (an amphitheatre at the beach!) and check out plenty of vendors such as the Gorilla Cheese NYC food truck.
From headliners like Nicki Minaj and The Weeknd to lesser-known (but equally awesome) musicians like Misterwives and Ryn Weaver, there was a full weekend ahead. One of the best performances from Saturday night had to be Axwell^Ingrosso. The biggest stage at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre was packed. Every seat and standing room was taken. Yeah, the seats were pretty high up, but that outdoor theatre allowed for a great view.
On Sunday, The Chainsmokers performed. You might know them from their song Kanye (or wait #SELFIE came first), but by the way it ISN’T about Kanye West. Part one of the duo (and the cuter), Drew Taggart, said that it’s about being yourself and not caring what other people think. Amen to that. Despite being in what was probably 90 degree weather and amongst a huge crowd of people, it was easy to love life in that moment.
After missing the first half of the Misterwives set with the most popular songs, there was a chance to get good enough seats for Kygo, a personal favorite. Later in the night, Nicki Minaj showed up a half an hour late for her set. Not cool, Nicki. But when she did come out she delivered a truly entertaining performance, even when her mic stopped working. Plus, she gave a great (maybe even inspirational) speech about women being independent and not needing a man. It was a great moment. Also, props to her dancers for killing that choreography and being just as sexy as she is.
Some chose to pass up the Skrillex show (because let’s be honest there’s only so much you can take of that noise that reminds you of the dentist!), and instead to head over to Ryn Weaver’s performance. Despite the small, intimate crowd, she was so cool and honest. It was great.
Last but not least was Justin Bieber. Even if you’re not a huge fan of him, you probably still sing along to his popular songs, as was the case here. He played some of his slower songs which were cute, but he ended with “Where are U Now”, and Skrillex even came back to help him out. And they had fireworks at the very end of the night!
There were even more artists that would’ve been awesome to see, but you just can’t get to them all. Regardless, huge thanks to Her Campus National for the opportunity to attend. It really was a fun weekend and hint, hint, HC Fordham would love to go back next year. Much credit to all those who put on an event like this; it can’t be easy. And to think it was only the first Billboard Hot 100 Festival.