Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
A big music show happened in Las Vegas. It is called the iHeartRadio Music Festival. It happened on two nights, September 18 and September 19, 2026.
The show was at T-Mobile Arena. Ryan Seacrest was the host. He talks on the radio and on TV.
On Friday night, BTS sang. Cardi B sang too. Kenny Chesney, Weezer and Zara Larsson also sang.
On Saturday night, Snoop Dogg sang. Muse and The Smashing Pumpkins sang too. People at home could watch on Disney+ and Hulu.
- festival
- A big event with many shows or performances.
- host
- A person who leads or presents a show.
- arena
- A large building where shows and sports happen.
- sing
- To make music with your voice.
- night
- The time when it is dark outside.
- watch
- To look at something, like a show.
- radio
- A device or station that plays sound and music.
- perform
- To sing or play music in front of people.
Level 2 — Elementary
The 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival took place over two nights, Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19. The event was held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was presented by Capital One.
Radio and TV personality Ryan Seacrest hosted the festival, just as he has for many years. On Friday, the lineup included BTS, Cardi B, Goo Goo Dolls, Kenny Chesney, Weezer and Zara Larsson.
Saturday night brought a different group of artists, including Benson Boone, Ciara, Lainey Wilson, LE SSERAFIM, Major Lazer, Muse, Snoop Dogg and The Smashing Pumpkins. The two nights offered fans a wide mix of pop, rock, country and hip hop.
Fans who were not in Las Vegas could still enjoy the show. Both nights were livestreamed on Disney+ and Hulu, and they were also broadcast on iHeartMedia radio stations in more than 150 markets across the United States.
- lineup
- The list of performers or artists at an event.
- livestream
- To broadcast a video live over the internet.
- broadcast
- To send out a program on radio or TV to many people.
- personality
- A well known person, often on TV or radio.
- market
- In radio or media, a city or area with its own audience.
- presented by
- A phrase showing which company sponsors an event.
- venue
- The place where an event happens.
- artist
- A person who creates music or performs it.
Level 3 — Intermediate
Every September, music fans turn their attention to Las Vegas, where the iHeartRadio Music Festival brings together some of the biggest names in the industry for two nights of live performances. The 2026 edition, presented by Capital One, ran on Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19, filling T-Mobile Arena with a diverse crowd of listeners across genres.
As he has done for years, Ryan Seacrest guided the audience through the weekend as host, introducing acts and keeping the energy high between sets. Friday's bill leaned toward a global, cross-genre audience, featuring the K-pop juggernaut BTS alongside Cardi B, Goo Goo Dolls, country star Kenny Chesney, alternative rock veterans Weezer and Swedish pop artist Zara Larsson.
Saturday's roster shifted the tone slightly, pairing pop newcomer Benson Boone and R&B icon Ciara with country hitmaker Lainey Wilson, K-pop group LE SSERAFIM, electronic dance act Major Lazer, rock band Muse, hip hop legend Snoop Dogg and alternative rock institution The Smashing Pumpkins. The range of styles across both nights reflected how broad the festival's reach has become since it launched.
For those unable to travel to Nevada, the festival remained accessible in multiple formats. Streaming platforms Disney+ and Hulu carried livestreams of both nights, giving subscribers a front row seat from their living rooms, while iHeartMedia stations in more than 150 markets nationwide carried live radio broadcasts, extending the festival's reach well beyond the walls of the arena.
- juggernaut
- Something with unstoppable force or momentum, often used for very popular acts.
- roster
- A list of people involved in a group or event, such as performers.
- veteran
- A person with a lot of experience in a particular field.
- genre
- A category of music or art defined by a particular style.
- institution
- Something so established and respected it feels like a permanent fixture.
- accessible
- Able to be reached, used or enjoyed easily.
- subscriber
- A person who pays for regular access to a service.
- nationwide
- Happening or existing across an entire country.
Level 4 — Advanced
For a decade and a half, the iHeartRadio Music Festival has functioned as an annual barometer of mainstream popular music, and the 2026 edition, staged over two nights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and presented by Capital One, once again assembled a roster that spanned continents, generations and genres. Held on Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19, the festival continued its tradition of landing on the third or fourth weekend of September, a scheduling consistency that has become part of its identity since its founding in 2011.
Ryan Seacrest, the radio and television personality synonymous with the festival's stage, once again served as host, lending the proceedings a familiar continuity even as the lineup itself evolved. Friday's bill illustrated the festival's willingness to juxtapose disparate audiences within a single night: the South Korean sensation BTS shared the stage with Cardi B, Goo Goo Dolls, country stalwart Kenny Chesney, the enduringly popular alternative rock band Weezer, and Swedish pop export Zara Larsson.
Saturday's program, meanwhile, demonstrated a similarly eclectic sensibility, drawing together the ascendant pop vocalist Benson Boone, R&B veteran Ciara, country chart topper Lainey Wilson, the K-pop act LE SSERAFIM, the electronic collective Major Lazer, the arena rock band Muse, hip hop icon Snoop Dogg and the alternative rock stalwarts of The Smashing Pumpkins. Such heterogeneous programming has long been central to the festival's appeal, allowing it to court multiple fan bases simultaneously rather than narrowing its focus to a single sound.
Distribution, too, reflected the festival's scale and ambition. Both nights were livestreamed in full on Disney+ and Hulu, granting subscribers an intimate, front row vantage point without requiring travel to Nevada, while iHeartMedia's terrestrial radio network carried live broadcasts to more than 150 markets across the United States. Taken together, the streaming and broadcast arrangements underscore how a single live event, rooted in one arena, can be engineered to reach a national and arguably global audience in real time.
- barometer
- Something that indicates or reflects a broader trend or condition.
- juxtapose
- To place things side by side, especially to highlight contrast.
- disparate
- Very different from each other, not alike.
- eclectic
- Made up of a wide and varied mix of elements or styles.
- heterogeneous
- Consisting of many different kinds of things or people.
- ascendant
- Rising in power, popularity or influence.
- stalwart
- A reliable, long-standing and dependable figure or supporter.
- vantage point
- A position that gives a clear or advantageous view of something.
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