Summer kicked off Saturday night as 15,000 fans filled the Nikon at Jones Beach Theate for KTUphoria, the annual concert organized by 103.5 KTU.
This year’s lineup included rising stars Bebe Rexha, Mike Posner, and The Chainsmokers, throwbacks Nile Rodgers, The Backstreet Boys and Enrique Iglesias, and international sensation Pitbull.
Attendees may have still been trickling in, but Nile Rodgers and his band Chic got the party started with throwback chart topper “Le Freak” followed by “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk, a cover his band has been performing since 2014.
Bebe Rexha, a New York native herself, took the stage next. Rexha shared stories of her background and rise to fame, and performed several of her hits including “Take Me Home” and “Me, Myself, and I.” She also performed “Monster,” the hit song she wrote that ended up being performed by Eminem and Rihanna. Rexha ended her short but sweet set with “No Broken Hearts,” her new collaboration with Nikki Minaj.
Mike Posner started off his show with two acoustic songs off his new album At Night, Alone, which was released May 6. He followed it up with 2010 hit “Cooler than me” and summer jam “I Took A Pill in Ibiza,” which he said was about a man who wanted to release himself from material possessions.
Finally, it was throwback time with back to back performances by Enrique Iglesias and then Backstreet Boys. Iglesias asked how many fans knew Spanish and the crowd roared. He packed his set full of his recent hits, including “Baby I Like It,” and “Bailando.”
Backstreet Boys were back and they made that clear with a packed 30-minute set of all of their top songs, including “The Call” and “I Want it That Way.” Then, Nick told the crowd the band was going to take them back in time for some nostalgia and sang “As Long As You Love Me,” “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely,” and “We’ve Got It Going On.” They ended the night with “Everybody,” proving that nothing has quite changed in the last 20 years.
Up next were The Chainsmokers, best known for their hit songs “Selfie” and “Roses.” To perform their hit “Don’t Let Me Down,” the duo brought special guest Daya on stage, who made it to Jones Beach just hours after her prom.
And finally, to close out the night, Pitbull took the stage, dedicating his show to Prince and Muhummad Ali. With the longest set, he got the crowd on its feet and dancing to hits like “Fireball,” “Feel This Moment.” and “Tinder.”
We can’t wait till next year to see what KTU has in store!
