Ne-Yo

Ne-Yo kicked off his set at Jingle Ball with his smash hit “Let’s Go” featuring Calvin Harris. Right off the bat, the R&B singer counted to three and commanded the crowd to jump.

photo: lindenphotography.com for KIIS FM

A little feedback did not get in the way as Ne-Yo lit up the stage with his full band and backup dancers. He commanded the crowd multiple times to jump up and down, and his fans did as they were told. The speakers were bumping, the glow sticks were swinging, and it was only the first track!

photo: lindenphotography.com for KIIS FM

Afterwards, Ne-Yo kicked it down a notch and performed more of his mellow R&B tracks, “Don’t Make Em Like You” featuring Whiz Khalifa. That was followed up by Ne-Yo’s staple track “Closer.” Ne-Yo had everyone in the crowd clapping their hands, not wasting time talking in between tracks. He cut the song short to keep the crowd guessing. The band immediately jumped into his first hit song, “So Sick,” off of 2006’s In My Own Words.

After “So Sick” Ne-Yo told his fans he had realized his dreams and thanked them for helping him achieve his goals. R.E.D. (Realizing Every Dream) is the name of Ne-Yo’s latest album. Ne-Yo jumped into the dance track “Give Me Everything Tonight,” featuring Pitbull. In the middle of the song, Ne-Yo tipped his hat over his eyes, cut off the band, and let the crowd sing the chorus. The sound was overpowering as everyone in the audience was on their feet belting out every note.

photo: Nick Carranza for KIIS FM

The lights went out, but came back on as Ne-Yo left the crowd with his latest hit "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)." He demanded everyone put their glow sticks in the air as he led his backup dancers in some complicated choreography. At the end of the song, his fist went up, he had a huge grin on his face and was breathing heavy. His fans knew he worked hard to make them happy with his set.
He told the crowd, “Long live music! Peace and love.”

Ne-Yo took a bow, put his hat over his eyes and glided off stage, confident and satisfied with his catharsis brought on by his performance.

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