Jack Harlow hypes Houston crowd with ‘Lovin on Me’ at CFP show

“I feel like there’s one more thing we need to do,” Jack Harlow said at the end of his Saturday night set in Houston.

“I was thinking it might be a good time to do the hottest song in the world.”

He wasn’t exaggerating. His single “Lovin on Me,” is currently sitting atop the iTunes and Spotify charts. It was the last No. 1 single of 2023 on the Billboard Hot 100 before the Christmas music takeover and is the only non-holiday song in the current top 10.

It was a stroke of luck for the College Football Playoff National Championship, which booked multiple acts as part of AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! (their punctuation, not ours) at Shell Energy Stadium in downtown Houston. Friday’s show featured Kidz Bop, who perform sanitized versions of current pop hits. Sunday’s country lineup included RodeoHouston alumni Jon Pardi and Jake Owen. Admission was free through the CFP app.

Saturday’s rap show also featured Latto and 2 Chainz, who each performed roughly half-hour sets. Despite the star power, the cold weather likely kept some fans at home. The stadium had huge sections of open seats, and there was ample room to move around on the floor.

It took Harlow a few songs to recalibrate the energy. Latto and 2 Chainz, who performed earlier in the evening, are both high-energy onstage. Harlow has a low-key vibe and a wry, sometimes deadpan sense of humor. He wore a green tracksuit and sunglasses, his hair styled into a mullet and frequently engaged with the crowd.

“I love this city,” Harlow said before shouting out Maxo Kream, who was at the show, and Trae Tha Truth, who “always shows love.” Harlow told the crowd he had dinner with Paul Wall earlier that day at Grace’s on Kirby.

His hourlong performance drew from all three of his studio albums and kicked off with “Tyler Herro,” an ode to the former Kentucky Wildcats player. Many of the songs were shortened to just a couple of minutes, and his band sat atop a black riser that took up much of the stage. Things stayed mellow until the last run of songs that included No. 1 singles “Industry Baby” and “First Class.”

Latto’s half-hour set included a DJ, dancers and lots of call-and-response with the crowd. (When I say big! You say Latto!”) Many of her songs — “It’s Givin,” “Lottery,” “Issa Party” — are feel-good anthems designed to fire up a crowd. And none do it more than “Big Energy,” her breakout hit built on a Tom Tom Club/Mariah Carey sample.

“We love you Army! We love you, JK!” she shouted before kicking into “Seven,” her recent chart-topper with BTS member Jungkook. Army is the name used by the BTS fanbase.

Rapper 2 Chainz also brought impressive energy. Despite being more than a decade old, his songs “I’m Different” and “Birthday Song” can still hype up a crowd and make them bounce.