Benson Boone flips, SZA stuns and T-Pain is crowd favorite at Jingle Ball 2024

INGLEWOOD, CALIF. – Right before the stars lay low for the holidays, Jingle Ball 2024 trotted out several Grammy hopefuls and artists whose viral hits were unavoidable on TikTok this year.

On Friday night, Los Angeles radio station 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball, part of iHeartRadio's national tour, featured SZA, Shaboozey, Meghan Trainor, T-Pain, Paris Hilton, Kane Brown, Benson Boone, Tate McRae, NCT Dream and Madison Beer. Each took turns performing brief sets at the flashy, brand new Intuit Dome (because having NFL stadium SoFi and longtime venue the Kia Forum in a 1-mile stretch isn't enough, right?).

The lineup was split 50-50 when it came to artists who embraced the annual concert's holiday theme. Kane Brown was ready to hit up a bar in Venice Beach after the show, while Meghan Trainor apparently got a memo that the dress code was "LA snow queen."

What was a running theme throughout the show was the warm embrace each singer received from fans, whether it came in the form of eardrum-shattering screams (looking at you, Benson Boone), a venue-wide wave among the crowd and name chant (show closer SZA) or a vast majority of the audience getting down to "Low" (T-Pain).

Read on for the most impressive performances of the night.

T-Pain

T-Pain might have been moving away from auto-tuned radio hits over the past decade, but he knew exactly what the all-ages Jingle Ball crowd would want to hear from him. In what felt like a gift specifically for Millennials, T-Pain delivered a medley of his greatest hits and collaborations, from "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" and "Bartender" to "Low" and "All I Do Is Win."

Out of all the performers, T-Pain's set most clearly showcased his scope of influence as a musician. Sure, he was years ahead of the rest of the lineup in terms of seniority in the music industry. But clearly, his 2000s songs have a special place in the hearts of many Angelenos.

As an encore, T-Pain returned to the stage to join Meghan Trainor in one of their first live performances of their song, "Been Like This."

Best songs: "Low," "2 Step"

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SZA

Following a nearly deafening reception as the final performer of the night, SZA revealed herself as the artist to most notably ignore the winter holiday theme. The desert "A Bug's Life" landscape set the stage for a visually dynamic set. There was a massive tree trunk the length of the stage, sword fighting and, as she sang "I Hate U," the Grammy-winning singer was perched atop a massive ant.

SZA took a dance break during "Snooze," went for the jugular in "Kill Bill" as she fought off her dancers (and threatened her ex and his girlfriend) with a prop sword and trekked halfway up the leaning tree trunk to get vulnerable about a past relationship in "Good Days."

Meanwhile, "Rich Baby Daddy" had the crowd going wild dancing in their seats as SZA and her dancers gave the choreography their all with twerking and high kicks.

The performance read more like a trial run for her upcoming stadium tour with Kendrick Lamar than a Christmastime jam, but honestly? This seems on-brand for SZA.

Best songs: "Kill Bill," "Snooze"

Benson Boone

Grammy best new artist contender Benson Boone got low and high — vocally and physically.

Dressed as rocker Santa in white-trimmed red bellbottoms and a vest that showed off his six-pack, Boone delivered soaring falsettos ("Cry," "Beautiful Things," "Drunk in My Mind") that were every bit as mind-boggling as his recorded tracks.

Oh, and there was the occasional backflip, for those were somehow not impressed enough by the vocal gymnastics.

"This has been one of the greatest years of my life for myself, for my music, for you guys listening to my music," Boone said as he introduced his viral hit "Beautiful Things." "Just before I came on stage I got word that this song, on the radio stations ... was played 1.8 billion times."

Boone showed he was in top form heading into Grammys season, as well as his international tour dates next year.

Best songs: "Beautiful Things" (duh), "Slow It Down"

NCT Dream

Despite strong choreographic showings from acts like Tate McRae and SZA, there's never anything quite like witnessing the precision and synchronicity of a K-pop band.

As each of NCT Dream's seven members — Mark, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, Jisung and Renjun — introduced themselves, the crowd's screaming only got louder with each singer. With such a warm reception, they said, they were happy to be back at the same venue three months after their headlining tour.

In their coordinated black slacks and black-and-white jackets, the group oozed the confidence of young men who knew they had fans eating out of their hands as they kicked and jumped and undulated their hips to tracks like "Smoothie" and "SOS."

Best song: "When I'm With You"

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How to watch iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2024

Performances from iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball Tour stops will air as a TV special on ABC. It will stream the next day on Hulu. To watch live, tune in to ABC on Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST.

Additional Jingle Ball Tour stops include: Chicago on Dec. 9; Detroit on Dec. 10; New York on Dec. 13; Boston on Dec. 15; Philadelphia on Dec. 16; Washington, DC on Dec. 17; Atlanta on Dec. 19; Miami on Dec. 21.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jingle Ball 2024: SZA brings theatrics, T-Pain nostalgia rouses fans