As a child of the 90s with two younger sisters, my mom would often play us Disney Radio growing up. This was the heyday of the boy band pop stars. Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync were constantly played throughout our house, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t thoroughly enjoy listening to both bands with my family. My personal music tastes have gotten a bit heavier, and guitar driven as time went on, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a soft spot for boy band music. Big Time Rush was a name I was very familiar with hearing, but I had aged out of the demographic that their TV Show was aimed at. So I never really listened to them. None the less, I’ve heard from multiple friends, and even my girlfriend, who gushed with excitement over how good this band is. I felt I would be doing myself a disservice by not seeing what post 90s boy bands have to offer and decided to head down to the Kia Forum to see Big Time Rush. Bringing with them Jax and fellow artist Max, I was ready to scream like a fan girl for the Can’t Get Enough Tour.

Opening the night was a pop singer known as Jax who came to prominence coming in 3rd on the 14th season of American Idol. I feel American Idol singers have a certain aesthetic to them that makes them feel larger than life, and untouchable. This was not Jax at all. She hit the stage with a full denim jump suit, a smile that lit up the room, and energy that felt friendly and enjoyable. Starting the night with “90s Kids” Jax was there to entertain every person that was able to get the show early. She was constantly working the full stage, and nearly leaning off the edge of the stage to get as close to the fans as she could. She was backed by guitarist Nash Overstreet and drummer Jess Bowen, who both kept their performance on Jax’s level of exude just as much playful energy as their front woman. Jax only played a 30-minute set consisting of songs like “Cinderella Snapped,” “Teenage Dirtbag,” “Like My Father,” “Crazy Ex GF,” and ending the set with “Victoria’s Secret.” The final song caught me off guard, as I had actually heard it before. Making me feel even more connected with this artist I thought I didn’t know. Jax was the perfect opener for a night of pop singers, as her joy in performing was felt by every single person who was fortunate to catch her set.

Up next was an artist known as MAX. Another artist I must apologize to for not knowing their music before going into the show, but I believe this helped MAX win me over. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, MAX was dancing non-stop throughout his set. The man was grinding and grooving all over the place, and it elevated the energy of the crowd to a new level. Starting his set with “Love Me Less,” MAX found a way to deliver a performance that was both sexually driven with his flamboyant dance moves but had those softer crooning moments as he worked the mic stand. Even the saxophonist got down with dancing with MAX, that just made the whole set feel like anyone could jump on stage and fit right in with this performance. MAX kept up the sexual tension and love making with the crowd throughout his whole set, and his songs benefitted from it. With songs like “Holla,” “Acid Dreams,” “Someday/Me and You Against the World,” “Blueberry Eyes,” “Strings,” “Satisfied,” “Lights Down Low,” and ending with “Mug Shot.” While listening to MAX’s music on CD is fantastic and enjoyable, you very much benefit from seeing him perform live. His charismatic energy is unavoidable as he will win you over with charm and the sincerest wink to the audience I have ever seen.

Finally, it was time to see what a more modern boy band has to offer. Starting off their set by emerging from behind their set dressing, and just standing their soaking in the cheers from the crowd, you could feel the love fans have continued to pour over this band since the beginning. Opening with a song off their newest album Another Life,  “Can’t Get Enough,” the boys of BTR were ready to dance all across the stage, and up their three tiered elevated stage dressing. Though I am used to the troupe of boy bands having five members, Big Time Rush being comprised of only four guys: Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos PenaVega, and Logan Henderson, these stellar performs still layered their vocals perfectly to bring beautiful harmonies to each song. One of the most personal moments that BTR does is bring onstage four lucky fans from the audience to participate in their song “Worldwide.” One lucky fan who was brought on stage announced that this was her eleventh show of this tour. And the band made her feel so special for her dedication to them. As this was also the Los Angeles show, being right down the street from Hollywood, we got a special appearance from two members of the Big Time Rush TV Show. That being Gustavo Rocque (Stephen Kramer Glickman) and his assistant Kelly Wainwright (Tanya Chisholm). Gustavo, in character, specifically reminding the crowd that he’s the reason Big Time Rush is as big as they are. BTR fans were delighted to a nearly two hour set that included songs like “Elevate,” “Song For You,” “All Over Again,” “Can’t Forget You,” “Love Me Love Me,” “Paralyzed,” “Nothing Even Matters,” “Invisible,” “Confetti Falling,” and a three song encore of “Windows Down,” “Boyfriend,” and “Till I Forget About You.”

 I have been listening to metal and rock music for so long, I forgot how good and catchy pop music truly can be, and how much fun boy band music really is. Jax and Max were the perfect openers to this show, as they got all the screaming fans excited about the music they were waiting to hear. From screaming teenagers, to screaming 20 and 30 year olds, to dudes just losing their mind, Big Time Rush is carrying the boy band torch with pride and a faithful fanbase behind them.