Photos by Janine Van Oostrom
Fans young and old, gathered at Canalside in Buffalo, NY on Sunday, to see some of the hottest artists in the business for KISS 98.5’s annual summer concert. Not even the horrendous weather and 90 minute rain delay could diminish the spirits of those who started lining up at 8am to see some of their favourite acts.
Seventeen-year-old singer/songwriter Daniel Skye was tasked with the responsibility to get the crowd pumped up and ready for the rest of the evening. The birthday boy was absolutely beaming, as fans were singing the lyrics to the songs back to him. His latest single “ON” had the crowd waving their arms side to side, really setting the tone for what was yet to come.
If it were up to me I would declare 2017 “The Year of the Cyrus Sisters”, with the launch of Noah Cyrus and the return of her big sister Miley. After hearing her debut single Make Me Cry, a few months back I was genuinely excited to see her performance. She took the stage with “Stay Together, which is her second single off her upcoming debut album NC-17. She also covered The Weeknd’s “I Feel It Coming”, which got everyone moving to the music.
He used to be in 1D but now he’s free, to not only continue to make thousands of girls scream at the top of their lungs but to showcase his own personal style of music. That’s right ladies and gentlemen; Liam Payne was in the house to single his debut solo single “Strip That Down”, much to the delight of every single person in attendance. There were fans that had lined up for over eight hours to see the heartthrob perform. It was a pretty whirlwind experience, and a bit strange to see him on stage without his three closest mates. But all eyes were on him, as he showed off his silky smooth dance moves, and his ability to capture the audience no problem, all on his own.
With the thunderstorms threatening to return, Austin Mahone moonwalked his way onto the stage and into our hearts. In 2014, MTV had named him an “Artist to Watch”, and you really couldn’t go anywhere without hearing one of his songs. While he did sing some of his newer songs, Mahone really commanded the stage and the attention of fans when he brought back his hits “What About Love” and “Mmm Yeah”.
With the rain pouring down, and the umbrellas high in the sky, Sean Paul brought his reggae beats to Buffalo. One of the coolest parts of his set was his moment of free styling to the beat of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”. It was a true moment of nostalgia to see the Jamaican native on stage, as most middle school dances in the early 00’s featured his greatest hits. Sean made sure to play a collection of all his hits that was really a shout out to his day one fans.
English band The Vamps proved to be unaffected and quite in love with the fact that their set was taking place in the middle of the storm. They told the fans it felt like they were right at home. For being one of the last acts of the evening the band displayed so much energy and admiration for every single person that stuck around to see them. The crowd really came to life, jumping up and down to the Pop / EDM hit “All Night”. With a few ups and downs through the course of the day, fans definitely were able to enjoy and create an evening full of memories.
