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

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

Deemed as the headliner of the night, Psy was brought on for his one song. You could not get away from his internet hit "Gangnam Style" if you wanted to. The performer humbly proclaimed that he spent his college years in Boston in 1997 and never once thought he would be back in the US performing to such a big crowd fifteen years later. Psy said to the rapt crowd, "This song only takes four minutes, but I can guarantee you I will do whatever I can for you," leading into a karaoke-like performance of his hit complete with back up dancers in white attire. Once the song came to an end, he said, "Unfortunately, I am only known for one song," so he performed it -- again.

Photos by Tony Nelson

With the constant barrage of stimulation, Jingle Ball does what it sets out to do: make everyone there feel like they were in a six-hour-long music video.

Critic's bias: Ellie Goulding and One Republic were the pleasant surprises of the evening.

The crowd: Tweens wearing Uggs and sequins and their parents.

Overheard in the crowd: "This floor is going to collapse" during Psy's performance due to everyone dancing along to the hit.

Random notebook dump: Pat Monahan of Train writes the oddest, most random lyrics. Example: The best soy latte that you ever had, and me?

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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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db19

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.