On January 19th, iHeartRadio hosted its second annual ALTer Ego Festival at the “Fabulous” Forum in Los Angeles, featuring the biggest names in alternative rock from a variety of bands for all ages. With a lineup filled with unforgettable performances from Twenty One Pilots, The Revivalists, Rise Against, Bishop Briggs, Weezer, The Killers, and Muse, the concert was filled with beloved fans for each artist!
The night kicked off with a “lit” set by Twenty One Pilots, where the stage was literally set on fire. The duo, Joshua Dun and Tyler Joseph, opened up with their newest single, “Jumpsuit,” followed by their biggest hits from all three of their albums. They even surprised the fans with flipping off pianos and ending with fan favorite, “Car Radio,” resulting in Tyler walking into the audience, climbing onto a beam, and yelling that he “sits in silence” to the sold out crowd.
The Revivalists played a five song set, ending with their big hit, “I Wish I Knew You.” The band embraced their fans in between songs, with a few being lucky enough to be serenaded from lead singer, David Shaw!
Following was beloved alternative rock band Rise Against who had the entire arena on their feet. It’s not that easy to get a room filled with fans of other acts to completely enjoy your set, however, the band of twenty years proved why they have been successful for over two decades by keeping every concertgoer engaged the entire time on stage.
“It’s hard,” lead singer Tim McIlrath tells Celeb Secrets. We try to play songs that people who may not be as aware of us will recognize but also try to play things for our fans who show up.”
During their set, the guys brought out Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello to perform “How Long.” As Tim McIlrath sang, Morello continued to shred through the track with his guitar – using his teeth to do so, a true Rockstar moment. It was probably the best moment of the entire night!
Bishop Briggs, the first-ever and only female of the night to headline the show, opened her with a raw rendition of “The Way I Do,” followed by her newest single, “Baby,” and ending with breakout hit “River.”
Briggs had a few moments to express her joy on being the first female performer on a day of a Women’s March. While looking powerful in a bright pink jumpsuit, Briggs told the audience, “I’m the woman on this lineup! And I’m going to try not to cry.”
Weezer did not disappoint when it came to bringing the hits. The multi-platinum group rocked out to a medley of hits from each of their albums, including their anticipated “Black Album” releasing in March. Lead singer Rivers Cuomo had the entire crowd singing the bridges of their most famous hits, while also joking back to Twenty One Pilots that they didn’t save the best band for their first slot, but saved it for them in the 5th slot. The band ended with their cover of “Africa”, which was the best possibly way to end a set.
The fun didn’t end there. The Killers brought Las Vegas to Los Angeles with their brightly neon set, opening up with their new politically charged single “Land of the Free” while revving of the crowd with classics like “Mr. Brightside” and “When You Were Young.”
The night ended with Muse, who still managed to get the entire Forum to sing in unison during fan favorite “Uprising” after a night of pure singing and dancing.
Overall, the event was a success in bringing a variety of alternative music into one room. The event wasn’t for a single fan base, but for several, being able to create new fans for each artist.
This is only the second year this event has taken place, but it isn’t the last. We can’t wait to see what iHeartRadio has in store for fans next year!
View our interviews from the red carpet at iHeartRadio ALTer Ego below:
