Live: Pitbull and Kelly Clarkson Couldn't Save Y100 Jingle Ball 2011 From Itself

Photo by Sayre Berman

​Y100 Jingle Ball 2011
With Pitbull, David Guetta, Kelly Clarkson, Flo Rida, LMFAO, Cobra Starship, Cody Simpson, Karmin, Gym Class Heroes, and Foster the People 
BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise
Saturday, December 10, 2011

View a slide show from the concert here.

Better Than: Sitting in the BankAtlantic Center parking lot for five hours.

Y100's yearly showcase of pop, the Jingle Ball show proved to be an evening to return to youth for anyone in attendance not in the target teen demographic -- but not in a positive way. Remember impatiently waiting for the end-of-the-day bell at school that seemed to never come? The 2011 edition of this concert was a bloated monstrosity that kept decent citizens peeking at their watches in just that way as a series of undertalented, undermotivated performers took the stage Saturday at BankAtlantic Center.

But first, a word from the most solid moment from the evening -- this is the first of exactly two. In a black suit and shades, Pitbull very much looks the entertainer he has become. (He was also the only guy in the whole lineup who definitely knew where the BankAtlantic Center is in relation to Miami (~35 miles northwest), and so he shouted out Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties on the reg during his 40 minutes onstage.) Employing a wide stance and sometimes waving a towel, the uncontainable Mr. Worldwide/305 brought on a cavalcade of hits -- some his, many just songs he's featured on -- with a confidence that may someday earn his smiling mug a Vegas residency. Although Marc Anthony's disembodied head singing the part from "Rain Over Me" on the screen behind him was a little creepy, it didn't slow the tempo set by "Bom Bom." Enrique Iglesias' "I Like It," Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love," and Jennifer Lopez's "On the Floor" figured in as well.

He capped the night with his Ne-Yo collabo "Give Me Everything." As the confetti sprayed, it was not surprising that Pitbull is "gettin' money like Seacrest" in front of a hometown crowd. Things were finally in a sort of harmony. In a little speech before the song, he spoke about having to change a negative to a positive in his life. Performancewise, he did as much as anyone there to shift what was shaping up to be a very negative night, and here's what happened beforehand.

Photo by Sayre Berman

​Kelly Clarkson was undeniably great, but is she getting any radio support? The feisty Clarkson was the only other worthwhile performer of the entire evening -- and it immediately showed the difference between a seasoned American Idol vet and the rest of the Jingle Ball crop. Kelly's a diva with some Texas twang to her speaking voice, and she tilted that mic stand like Steven Tyler when she wanted to. In a white coat and sparkly top, she made performing seem like a joy and not the chore of many of the preceding acts. But you wouldn't know it by looking at the dead crowd. A lot of her jubilant calls to "come on!" were met with confusion. After opening powerfully with "Since U Been Gone" and a strong segue into "Walk Away," things went limp. Although "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" and closer "My Life Would Suck Without You" were two of the catchiest songs that echoed from the stage all evening, it seemed like many of the young attendees had only a basic idea of who Clarkson was. It didn't help that a slow, jazz-note-filled version of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" came in the middle of her set either.

Cohesion was nil. The little tempo shift in the middle of Clarkson's set was a mere hiccup compared to the night on the whole. Although there were two stages set up -- the main one and a small one on the other end of the arena by the soundboard -- the DJs still got plenty of time to spin in between sets while lagging setup continued. Perhaps this was to distract from the fact that direct transitions between Gym Class Heroes, Avril Lavigne, the Script, and Cobra Starship would be even more jarring.