As a teen growing up in Brooklyn, I always had a strong desire to attend the radio concert of the season. For one reason or another, my dreams were never fulfilled at any point during the mid-’90s. Fast-forward fifteen or so years & Z100‘s format has changed drastically. However, that didn’t stop me from accepting an invitation to cover this year’s shindig within a matter of seconds. Friday night’s press room (benefiting Food Bank For New York City) featured appearances by: Kris Allen, Ke$ha, Adam Lambert, Justin Bieber, Pitbull, Boys Like Girls, Jay Sean, Allison Iraheta, The Fray & Leighton Meester just to name a few. Over the course of the evening, I embraced my guilty pleasures while receiving the opportunity to ask Justin Bieber to name his favorite album of 2009 (Jay Z’s Blueprint 3) & inquire about Ke$ha’s fashion sense (‘I dig through the garbage’). Ha! I wouldn’t have traded the experience in for anything (except maybe a coffee date with Moz). All shots by Santiago Felipe.
View many more photographs AFTER THE JUMP…
MP3: Ke$ha – Tik Tok (Chuck Bucket Mix)



































I, too, remember growing up in the outer boroughs (Queens) and wanting to go to the Z100 Jingle Ball. Maybe I’ll get the chance to photograph it in the future, and I’ll shamelessly enjoy it, even if I have no clue who the artists are.
Why are there no fanboy photos of Matt with an artist?!
God bless you for fulfilling a long time dream. You probably had a blast. I was at the Q102 Jingle Ball in Philly the other night, but damn, was nothing like this! Great pictures. Make sure Hipster Runoff don’t steal them.
Bruce
who is the lesbian in the yankees cap?
samra, that’s justin bieber (new tween sensation!)
my kesha remix at
myspace.com/trickswayze
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