Arenas & Sheds Concerts featured Verizon Center

2013 Jingle Ball

Posted on January 6, 2014
Jingle Ball DC 2013

Last year was my first year shooting the traveling Jingle Ball show (Justin Beiber threw a towel at me!), and while I am not a fan of being in a crowded photo pit with a bunch of photogs that never shoot concerts, the show does provide great access to some of today’s most popular recording artists. And Flo Rida. Last year I spent a majority of my time shooting red carpet photos, but this year I focused on the actual performances. The big tickets on this night were Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 16th, 2013 - Robin Thicke performs onstage during Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball 2013, presented by Overstock.com, at Verizon Center on December 16, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 16th, 2013 - Miley Cyrus performs onstage during Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball 2013, presented by Overstock.com, at Verizon Center on December 16, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 16th, 2013 - Hayley Williams of Paramore performs onstage during Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball 2013, presented by Overstock.com, at Verizon Center on December 16, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

Also on the bill were Austin Mahone, Fifth Harmony, Fall Out Boy, Enrique Iglesias, Paramore and Jason Derulo. We were given two songs per act, and honestly that was plenty. The photo pit was filled with people that had no idea what proper pit etiquette is, so I had to smack a few people on the back of their head for holding their camera above their head at the foot of the stage. That’s a no-no. There were other issues as well, but I digress. Like I said, this is a great opportunity to shoot big artists up close. Miley is touring in 2014 and I seriously doubt we’ll be this close to the stage during that show.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 16th, 2013 - Fall Out Boy perform onstage during Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball 2013, presented by Overstock.com, at Verizon Center on December 16, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 16th, 2013 - Jason Derulo performs onstage during Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball 2013, presented by Overstock.com, at Verizon Center on December 16, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 16th, 2013 - Enrique Iglesias performs onstage during Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball 2013, presented by Overstock.com, at Verizon Center on December 16, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 16th, 2013 - Austin Mahone performs onstage during Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball 2013, presented by Overstock.com, at Verizon Center on December 16, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 16th, 2013 - Miley Cyrus performs onstage during Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball 2013, presented by Overstock.com, at Verizon Center on December 16, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

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Kyle Gustafson is a freelance photographer based in Washington, D.C. His work appears weekly in The Washington Post. Complex Magazine named him one of the 50 Greatest Concert Photographers Right Now.

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2 Comments

  • Reply
    paul bachmann
    January 7, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Quality as always Kyle, congrats.

    Paul

  • Reply
    Photos of Jason Derulo @ Fillmore Silver Spring | Kyle Gustafson Photography
    December 6, 2014 at 8:29 am

    […] Derulo is a dynamic performer, of that there is no doubt. I shot him last year at the Jingle Ball but had never seen him do his own show, so I must admit I was quite impressed with the setup he […]

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