Big Time Rush turns back the clock at Mohegan Sun
It was a Big Time dream come true! The only thing louder than my heart beat was the crowd. This was my first time seeing Big Time Rush even though I’ve loved them since I was 9. The energy? Electric. The nostalgia? Off the charts.
Not only did they play every song from every episode, but they had Katelyn Tarver (“Jo Taylor”) and Stephen Kramer Glickman (“Gustavo Rocque”) as their openers. These two acts also played recurring roles on their hit Nickelodeon TV show. It was indeed a Big Night.
If you thought you weren’t going to hear a Foo Fighters/Kelly Clarkson mashup at a Big Time Rush show, you’d be mistaken! Stephen started the night off strong by covering pop hits in a whimsical fashion. Starting with “Bad Guy” and going into “Toxic” by Britney Spears, he knew how to keep his audience engaged and on their feet. He slowed things down with “Drivers License” and brought the energy right back up with his “Everlong/Since U Been Gone” mashup. It was definitely a plot twist no one saw coming! He ended the night with “Pink Pony Club” and honestly I couldn’t imagine a better ending. Having an icon from our childhood sing current pop hits was exactly what this tour needed!
Katelyn Tarver came out with such high energy. She had a custom baby tee that read “Mi$$ Mohegan Sun” that a lucky fan went home with. Katelyn played a set of all originals. She opened with her song “Hurt Like That” and then grabbed her acoustic guitar and put on a cute dad hat that read “I used to be nicer” for her song “Nicer”. I loved the shameless merch plug. I didn’t know her music, I only knew her as Jo Taylor (which she knew would be the case with the majority of the crowd), but she absolutely won over everyone’s hearts as Katelyn Tarver, the musician.
The lights were dimmed, a crowd of 50 fans stood at the sides of the stage, the arena had the echoes of high pitched “aaaahhhs” and screams. The theme song to Big Time Rush came on as Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan took their places on the stage risers. They shortened the song and had it the same length as it was in the show. I bet you didn’t know there was a full second verse that never got to see the light of day (unless you streamed the album version, of course!). They had small trampolines next to the risers, so they were bouncing and running around. It was so hard to keep up with where they all were. The energy this early on was a clear indication that this would be a “Big Night”!
They went full energy into their first full length song “Windows Down.” I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t singing while photographing. How could I resist?! As the first verse approached, I was in front of James. He spotted me and pointed at me as Carlos sang “You’re pretty baby, but you know that.” My inner 12-year-old self squealed on the inside — James is my favorite!
The first half of the set was filled with high energy bangers. From newer songs like “Amazing” to oldies like “Big Night,” they crafted a perfect crowd capturing opener. Growing up we all had our favorite member- who stole your heart? The pretty boy, James? The brainiac, Logan? The funny guy, Carlos? Or the chill guy, Kendall?
Stephen joined back on stage for a piano medley and duet with each member of Big Time Rush. So, they each got their own spotlight. We got “Cover Girl,” “You’re Not Alone,” “All Over Again,” and “We Are.”
We Are (James) was my favorite of the 4 (sorry guys!). Before getting of stage, they sang the iconic “Turd Song” to send Stephen off stage. The “Turd Song” was the first song Kendall sang on the show. They sang it to Stephen’s character Gustavo basically calling him a turd because he was a mean music producer.
We got a few more hits before they walked through the crowd to get to their B Stage during “Halfway There”. The boys all stopped for some hugs and selfies before slowing it down for some acoustic songs and nice ambient lighting.
On their way back to the stage, each guy picked a girl from the audience and brought her on stage. Every show they pick someone to serenade during “Worldwide.” One day I’ll be picked! It’s only a 1/10,000 chance right? Each girl had her own special sign and reason to be picked. Logan’s girl spent 30 hours making her own Worldwide Girl jersey. It looked amazing!
To finish up the night, we got some more upbeat songs after the serenading was over. Some of my favorites include “elevate,” “Run Wild,” “Nothing Even Matters,” and “Song For You. They of course ended the night with “Confetti Falling”— and, yes there was confetti falling! If 34 songs wasn’t enough, they came back for an encore of two most popular songs from the show “Till I Forget About You” and “Boyfriend.”
If you watched the show, this was the perfect trip down memory lane. They hit every song from every episode. I am impressed by the endurance each of these guys have. I will say, the videos and between clips while they had small breaks and outfit changes were very entertaining to us and helpful to them.
If you missed this tour, they hinted on coming back. I will definitely be catching them again! Will you?
