IN THE PIT: BIG TIME RUSH
AUGUST 26- INTUIT DOME, INGLEWOOD, CA
One word: Nostalgic
On August 26th, Big Time Rush brought their In Real Life Worldwide Tour to the Intuit Dome, and the brand-new arena felt like it was built for this exact moment.
The Dome itself added to the excitement. Although very big, the concert was very intimate as each guest made to feel personally included with this experience, EXACTLY how it felt when Big Time Rush first aired in 2009, making everyone reminice on the band’s journey all the way up until 2013 once the show ended.
The arena was sold out! The arena was basically filled to the brim before Stephen Glickman came to the stage. Before the show, BTR held a fan meetup The fans who were unable to go to the fan meet up, bought their merch shirts, held their “WE LOVE BTR” signs, and exchanged stickers with each other.
The specific event brought everyone in the arena together for this moment.
The show had two openers: Stephen Kramer Glickman (played Gustavo Rocque on the show) and Katelyn Tarver (played Jo Taylor)
We all remember Stephen Glickman’s character on the show. He is still just as funny as he was on the show. Great singer too! he came out with a bedazzled suit so I had to bring out my star filter!
Stephen’s set started off with a metal-esque cover of Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
As a fellow rock fan myself, I was trying my best not to start jumping around to the music hahaha. He definitly lit up the arena with his sense of humor. Stephen Kramer Glickman was a great opener, his stage presence felt genuine and unforced. While he wasn’t leaning into his Gustavo character on the show, his timing and charisma kept the audience engaged, making his set a memorable start to the night. He then did covers from Britiney Spears, Olivia Rodrigo, The Killers, and Chappell Roan.
The choices for the guitarist and the drummer was SPOT ON. There was a lot hair-ography and fan interaction going on with the crowd, which I absolutley lived for.
Katelyn Tarver came onto the stage soon after. It took me by surprise because before this point I thought she was still mainly acting. After her performance, it really showed me how underrated she is.
Katelyn’s set started off with her song Nicer on her album Subject to Change
Following Stephen was Katelyn Tarver (Jo), who shifted the mood to heart. Her alternative sound kept the entire crowd at the edge of their seat, and each of her original songs felt personal and intimate, drawing the crowd in with every note.
I ended up adding a few songs to my playlist lol. She is a very beautiful writer and I wish I knew about her music when I was younger. Fans held their phone lights up and swayed with her thoughout her set. Her pressence was very ethereal. The crowd was quiet for a moment, just taking her in. Between songs, she told short stories about her music, the connection with the crowd felt genuine.
Before Big TIme Rush came to the stage, the lights then dimmed.
The main theme from the show began to play. the stage was already filled with fog and the fans were already excited with anticipation!
Carlos was the first person I saw pop up on the stage
Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan exploded onto the stage with energy that immediately had the entire arena jumping! The first 3 songs were an immdiate nostalgia trip. The crowd was singing every word, hands in the air, bouncing along. The guys fed off the energy, moving, dancing, and interacting with fans in a way that made everyone feel seen.
The production was insane—the LED screens behind them shifted between flashbacks to the TV show and high-energy visuals that made every song feel even bigger and have a higher importance.
Fans were still screaming, singing, and dancing along, and the excitement didn’t let up for a second. Every song, every move, every interaction reminded everyone, including me, why they fell in love with Big Time Rush in the first place, and why seeing them live in 2025 was something nobody in that arena would ever forget.
