December 06, 2017
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for iHeart
Musician Charlie Puth performs on stage during Q102's Jingle Ball 2016 on Dec. 7, 2016 in Philadelphia.
The Jingle Ball sometimes lacks muscle and edge. Fall Out Boy will provide
a bit of each when the veteran rock act hits the stage for the annual pop
concert tonight at the Wells Fargo Center.
The lineup is the most balanced its been in years. The DJ/production duo of The Chainsmokers, rapper-singer Kesha, singer-songwriters Halsey and Charlie Puth, rapper Logic, singer-actress Sabrina Carpenter and One Direction vocalists Niall Horan and Liam Payne are among the featured acts.
“These kind of shows are always fun,” Puth said. “You get to perform and you also get to see some recording artists you admire and hang out with them.”
Fall Out Boy will be one of the focal points. The energetic band, which has reached the chart with such hits as “Dance, Dance,” and “Sugar, We’re Goin Down,” headlines arenas when on their own. The band, which formed in 2001, successfully came back from a five-year hiatus in 2013.
Expect a hit-laden set from the power-pop act. Fall Out Boy is just one of the big names on the bill. The poppy Chainsmokers, who sold out the Liacouras Center last summer and Halsey, who headlined arenas during her recent jaunt, should satisfy pop fans.
Sabrina Carpenter performs on stage during Q102's Jingle Ball Pre-Party 2016 on Dec. 7, 2016 in Philadelphia.
Logic is a quirky rapper, who claims that he is just as influenced by Frank Sinatra as OutKast. Logic, a/k/a Sir Robert Bryson Hall, dubs himself “young Sinatra.”
Horan and Payne are high profile, courtesy of One Direction, which packed stadiums during its last tour, including a sold-out Lincoln Financial Field date.
Bet on Puth to stand out thanks to his voice, which is pitch perfect. “When I sing, you know it’s all coming from me,” Puth said.
“I don’t have to depend on anything to sound this way.”
Puth was bullied due to his talent while attending high school in tiny Rumson, New Jersey.
“It was primarily verbal,” Puth said. “People would say discouraging things, but I didn’t listen. I knew what I was capable of doing.”
Charlie Puth performs on stage during Q102's Jingle Ball 2016 on Dec. 7, 2016 in Philadelphia.
“It’s great when someone like that believes in you,” Puth said. “It was a nice boost.”
“One Call Away,” “We Don’t Talk Anymore” and “Attention” have each landed within the top 12 spots of the Billboard Hot 100.
“It’s been really good so far,” Puth said. “I have no complaints. I’m doing exactly what I hoped to do.”
When he’s not on his own tour, Puth has no problem being part of the Jingle Ball circuit.
“As long as I get to go up there and play, I’m happy,” he said.
The Jingle Ball, which features Fall Out Boy, the Chainsmokers, Kesha, Halsey, Charlie Puth, Logic, Sabrina Carpenter, Niall Horan and Liam Payne, is slated for Wednesday, Dec. 6 at the Wells Fargo Center, Broad and Pattison streets in South Philadelphia. Tickets are $41, $61, $81, $101 and $161. Show time is 7:30 p.m.
