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    Wango Tango becomes a beach party with new Surf City U.S.A. venue
    • May 11, 2025

    It’s a radio concert that’s so iconic, it was a key plot point in Disney’s 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday.” But with a new venue, new city and whole new vibe, it’s safe to say this isn’t your parents’ Wango Tango.

    KISS-FM’s Wango Tango returned to Orange County on Saturday, May 10, at Huntington City Beach. The general admission event took place in the sand with concertgoers encouraged to bring their own beach towels if they wanted a spot to sit on the beach.

    The venue change also displayed a notable shift in crowd size for the annual daylong concert, when you compare it to its 2019 prepandemic performance at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, which was a televised event through iHeartRadio with acts including Taylor Swift, Halsey and the Jonas Brothers, who had just reunited earlier that year.

    However, the new Surf City USA location proved to be a favorable choice for some, with temperatures for the day ranging from 90 to over 100 degrees across parts of Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire. With a new location came some confusion, as there were no signs to indicate where on the beach the Wango Tango stage and entrance were. Limited beach lots made parking difficult for many attendees. The usual street parking spots and nearby garages by restaurants were taken early in the day because of other activities happening on the beach, including a surf competition and volleyball tournament.

    There’s nothing like a hometown hero, and it’s apparent that’s what Gwen Stefani is for Orange County. As the No Doubt singer’s set was being introduced by KIIS-FM DJ’s Sisanie Villaclara and JoJo Wright, people weren’t just rushing to the stage, they were jumping over the barricade from general admission into the ticketed pit.

    The commotion caused security and safety concerns from those in attendance and took away from the calmer atmosphere earlier in the day. Perhaps a sign that if the concert returns to the beach, organizers should take a page from other festivals and have the venue with one open space area for general admission in addition to the VIP zone.

    Stefani performed a variety of her hits from both her solo career and her No Doubt days, kicking her set off with “The Sweet Escape.” Throughout her performance, Stefani made multiple notes of her O.C. roots, sharing her love for the community she grew up in as she introduced “Just a Girl” as a song she wrote while still living with her parents in the area.

    Stefani closed her set with “Hollaback Girl,” from her 2004 debut solo album “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” The performance made the crowd go bananas as they sang along to the lyrics to the memorable bridge and dancers brought out life-size bananas for the finale.

    Other top acts on the lineup included Doja Cat, Meghan Trainor and DJ David Guetta.

    Doja Cat’s performance built off the momentum of Gwen Stefani’s set before her. The artist captivated the crowd from the moment she took the stage. She performed her hits “Kiss Me More” and “Say So” before closing with her 2023 single “Paint The Town Red.” Unlike Stefani, Doja Cat at no point chatted between songs with the Huntington Beach crowd, focusing entirely on the music and her performance.

    Trainor’s set showcased the variety of radio hits from her decade-long career, playing newer tunes like “Mother” as well as the breakout single that skyrocketed her to mainstream success, “All About That Bass.” Throughout her performance, Trainor giggled with fans and shared her appreciation to be on the Wango Tango stage. She closed her set with “Made You Look,” the song that revitalized her career in 2022, in part because of a viral TikTok dance trend of the catchy chorus.

    K-pop artists took over the early lineup of the day, a sign of the times that the genre continues to dominate the airwaves. Despite having shorter sets with only a handful of songs, fans of the genre were eager to see the groups perform. Five of the nine acts for the Wango Tango lineup were K-pop artists, including Hearts2Hearts, which made its U.S. live performance debut at the show.

    Los Angeles-based group Katseye was another crowd favorite. Despite experiencing a minor technical difficulty at the start of their set when the backtrack of their song “Gnarly” didn’t start right away, it didn’t stop the girl group from missing a beat or prevent fans from belting out the lyrics to the group’s songs.

     Orange County Register 

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