Machine Gun Kelly & Halsey Light Up Crypto.com Ahead of Super Bowl. Perform “forget me too” Together for the First Time Ever

The energy was palpable as the excitement for night one of Bud Light’s Super Bowl Music Festival was building in the recently named Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. Kicking off the three night festival was the new king of pop-punk Machine Gun Kelly and his friend and Capitol Records artist Halsey.

As the lights dimmed in the arena the crowd let out a collective gasp of excitement and MGK took the stage to sang “title track” off his 2020 album Tickets To My Downfall. With a Nintendo Mario themed stage set up he blew threw several songs off the artist’s first platinum album including “kiss kiss,” “drunk face” and “split a pill” which appears on the deluxe version and he admitted he doesn’t “normally play” this one and “you probably don’t know it.” The crowd enthusiastically sang along still.

Mid-set he recalls the story of him packing up his car in 2003 and driving to Indiana to perform at Warped Tour for what he said was an audience of 12 – “this song isn’t ours but out of respect – here we go.” His cover of Paramore’s “Misery Business” played next.

The night was billed as Machine Gun Kelly and friends and he kept that promise by bringing out Trippie Redd for their songs “All I Know” and “Candy,” his “big brother” Travis Barker and WILLOW for their recent collaboration “emo girl.” The co-headliner Halsey came out ahead of her set and the two performed “forget me too” for the first time ever.

He closed out the set with his radio hit “my ex’s best friend” and “bloody valentine” after bringing a fan on stage to try and slime him. He called him out saying he had been to “over 800 shows.” “What did you guys’ think was in these Mario Pipes? It’s not just for show!” he laughs.

45 minutes later the stage was dismantled and the new mother Halsey wastes no time in bringing the energy as she lights up the venue with “Nightmare” as flames provide the backdrop against the singer’s unique and signature vocals.

Being in the same arena where the Lakers play, Halsey takes the time to call out, “I know its football time, but Go Lakers!” She admits her nerves were high ahead of the performance – her first in two years – and empathizes with the players and how they must feel before each game. If she really was nervous, the audience never felt it.

After having to restart “Castle” off her debut album, she reflects on not having been able to perform since pre-pandemic – “I had a baby, made an album and broke my foot – but I don’t care about any of the BS Los Angeles! I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”

Over the next hour and a half she runs through a slew of her hits including “Colors,” “Bad At Love,” “Graveyard” and closed out with her Marshmello collaboration, “Be Kind,” followed by “Without You” and “I am not a women, I’m a God.” Surprisingly missing from the set was her #1 song with The Chainsmokers “Closer” that she normally strips down acoustically.

As the concert marked much of the audience’s first show back in years, the two superstar acts welcomed back an audience eager for a sense of normalcy with a dazzling display of artistry and fun.

The festival continues tonight with Mickey Guyton, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. For tickets and information click HERE.