KDWB's Jingle Ball at Xcel Energy Center, 12/4/12

By Youa Vang Wed., Dec. 5 2012 at 9:00 AM

Minnesota's Owl City may have disappeared into non-existence were it not for his latest hit "Good Time" with Carly Rae Jepsen. Adam Young stepped onstage looking dapper and almost like a choir boy with a sweater over a dress shirt. Nevertheless, his non-threatening good looks and awkward dance moves drew cheers from his key market through songs like "Fireflies," his new single "Shooting Star," and, of course, "Good Time."

Photos by Tony Nelson

One Republic brought the biggest personality to the evening with their indie-rock vibe, or as "indie" as a KDWB concert can be. Opening with a mini-orchestra on "Secrets," they ran through a quick five-song set that included their hits that you forgot they sang until they performed them like "Good Life" and "Apologize." Lead singer Ryan Tedder held the attention of the crowd with his rock star sex appeal by running around onstage -- even into the audience for their last song -- and approaching different instruments for each song.
The band has been around long enough and written enough hits to prove that they weren't a flash-in-the-pan group. The best way to put it is: they are a talented version of Foster the People.

Ed Sheeran's appeal is a head-scratcher. The self-proclaimed ginger rose to fame quickly with his hit "A Team," a song about a prostitute hooked on drugs. Perhaps when sung to an acoustic guitar, this is pretty hardcore. Regardless, Sheeran drew the biggest ear-piercing shrieks from the audience for his three-song set, which went like this: "New Single," "15 minute beat boxing/instrument looping song that included 50 Cent's 'In Da Club,'" and "Radio Hit." Sorry girls, is this guy's fifteen minutes up yet?

Photos by Tony Nelson

Although just here over the summer for Cities 97's Basilica Block Party, Train, while a little confusing to the demographic for the evening proved entertaining. The band even made time to give the audience something more by inviting "mermaids" onstage for their new single "Mermaids." While the girls -- and one boy -- were invited to dance onstage, most took the opportunity to take pictures with their camera phones and capture the moment. Even if the sound of Pat Monahan's voice makes you cringe, you know every word to every Train song, be it from hearing it while shopping at a department store or on a light-rock radio station. The commercial appeal of the band is inescapable, especially with their cover of Fun.'s "We Are Young" at the end of "Soul Sister."

Tags:

Cher Lloyd, Concert Review, Conor Maynard, Ellie Goulding, Jingle Ball, KDWB, Last Night, One Republic, Psy, Train, Xcel Energy Center

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Coming from a journalism background myself and as an American currently residing in the UK, I find your Ed Sheeran review a bit upsetting.

As short as the review is, it also shows a lack of research that would have taken just moments to complete. Yes, The A-Team is about drug use, but has a story that has contributed to the success and respect of Sheeran across the globe.

Sheeran met a woman while volunteering through Crisis in London (a homeless shelter), who told him her story. Through his work and research he was moved in such a way to write the song.

He also performed at in event in the UK which has raised £40,000 for a charity that reaches out to street sex workers. "It's good to show insight that these people are real people with real emotions and they deserve the same charity work as anyone else," Sheeran said. "There's a lot more popular charities that get a lot of attention. And with certain subjects like this they're often washed over and people don't necessarily give them the attention they deserve."

During his first visit to the US in 2010, Sheeran was discovered by Jamie Foxx, who asked Sheeran to perform on his radio show. This began the start of his growing fan base in the states.

In 2011 the release of his independent EP gave him a boost of mainstream attention for reaching number 2 in the iTunes chart without any promotion or label. The EP sold over 7,000 copies in its first week.

His diverse style and talent for song writing has awarded him numerous awards, with his debut album reaching 5 times platinum in the UK.

I hope this will give you new knowledge and perspective on his appeal and growing success in the states. His "fifteen minutes" haven't been over for a while now, and it looks like they won't be over anytime soon.