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Pharrell, Ariana Grande lead pop pack at hit
radio station's seasonal celebration

B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash
Allstate Arena
Rosemont, IL
December 6, 2014

Pharrell Williams

Ariana Grande

Story by Kathryn Randall and Andy Argyrakis
Photos by Andy Argyrakis

What's become an annual holiday-themed concert tradition in Chicago expanded even further this year with one of its most extensive line-ups in terms of musical trends. Not only did the B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash score red hot show closer Pharrell Williams on the heels of his smash hit "Happy" and tag team with Daft Punk, but it also clinched Ariana Grande prior to her 2015 arena run and 5 Seconds Of Summer before their even larger amphitheatre outing next summer.

Surprisingly, the headliner-level Grande kicked off the night, taking cues out of Mariah Carey's sky high playbook as she grooved though R&B-infused radio regulars "Break Free," "Problem" and "Bang Bang." And if her sampler set was any indication of what's in store on the relative newcomer's full tour, everyone from Katy Perry to Rihanna should be shaking in their mini skirts.

From there, it was a battle of the boy bands with screaming girl favorites 5 Seconds of Summer (a bad Blink 182 at their best), the more melodically-minded Rixton and the mainstream rap-tipped MKTO. The mood then shifted towards the electronic side of the dial with Lil Jon sadly skipping out his crunk hip-hop heyday to simply spin in the DJ booth, followed by Dutch producer Martin Garrix, who kicked up the house-infused intensity alongside a blinding light show worthy of any major EDM festival.

In fact, that burgeoning import act's progressive rhythms suitably set the tone for Pharrell, the veteran member of production duo The Neptunes and hip-hop band N.E.R.D. turned solo star. Besides the funky flavors from 2014's Grammy nominated "GIRL" album, he attacked classic collaborations "Hollaback Girl" (Gwen Stefani), "Blurred Lines" (Robin Thicke) and "Get Lucky" (Daft Punk), three all out throwdowns that preceded his own "Happy," which seemed to be the primary emotion B96 fans took home from the marathon Jingle Bash.