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Cardi B, Shawn Mendes, Camilla Cabello
and more command another B96 blast

B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash
Allstate Arena
Rosemont, IL
December 8, 2018

Cardi B

Shawn Mendes

Camilla Cabello

Story by Kathryn Randall
Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The annual installment of the B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash logged yet another sell out at the Allstate Arena thanks to an extensive line-up featuring many of today's top names and a forecast of what's to come. That meant performances by Latin pop princess Camila Cabello, singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes, reigning rap queen Cardi B, acoustic/electropop hitmaker Mike Posner, boy band Why Don't We and modern day R&B man Lauv on a rotating stage that kept the action flowing and the transitions tight.

Coming off her Lollapalooza appearance, Cabello jumpstarted the festivities, continuing to distance herself from girl group Fifth Harmony with more mature sounds off the mega-selling "Camila" album, such as the platinum-plus singles "Never Be The Same," "Into It" and "Havana." Fellow Lolla alum Lauv kept the sing-a-longs coming with his soulful smash "I Like Me Better," though every track pulled out of the continuously evolving playlist "I Met You When I Was 18" was a winner.

Up next was Mike Posner, the man behind "Cooler Than That" (ambitiously performed in the crowd) and "I Took A Pill In Ibiza," who also previewed the upcoming "A Real Good Kid." B96 Bash regulars are of course no stranger to current Grammy nominee Shawn Mendes and they were rewarded with the first local glimpse of "Lost In Japan" and "In My Blood" (found on his new self-titled release), along with several prior favorites that played out like a veteran retrospective.

Why Don't We got its fair share of screams in front of a massive LED screen, exuding polished harmonies and dance grooves off its debut long player "8 Letters." Yet the talk of the town was unquestionably Cardi B, who cranked out two mixtapes and her official debut album since 2016, while especially dominating the singles' charts in 2018 and notching five Grammy nominations.

In fact, the "Bodak Yellow" rapper's finale set was stacked with the likes of "Drip," "Money Bag" (albeit inaudibly for a bit due to a technical difficulty), "MotorSport" (with Migos and rival Nicki Minaj on record), just plain "Money" and more, continuing in B96's tradition of always landing the moment's hottest stars. Expect that trend to continue into 2019 when the B96 Pepsi Summer Bash returns to the Allstate Arena on June 22 with all the details coming to the air and B96.com.