The "pop" in pop music stands for "popular," and nothing on the Southern California music landscape celebrates popularity like KIIS-FM's annual Wango Tango concert.
The station's "contemporary hit radio pop" format, which emphasizes danceable pop and hip-hop, is a breeding ground for commercial success, and the meat of the lineup at Wango Tango on Saturday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim was a millionaire's club in terms of record sales: Kelly Clarkson (2 million for her current album), Ludacris (1.6 million), Gwen Stefani (almost 2 million), Black Eyed Peas (2.6 million).
Simple Plan and Ciara are both over the million mark too, and Lindsay Lohan is closing in on it.
But success is measured in other ways too, and perhaps the loudest response from the sellout crowd went to the two acts with the most marginal music careers, Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith, essentially actors who do music on the side.
The adulation must have felt good to Lopez, coming the day after all those reviews for "Monster-in-Law," and she stomped and smoldered through her aerobic workout, a full production with band, dancers and fireworks.
Fat Joe came out for their duet hit "Hold You Down," and J-Lo later asked the fans, "Y'all in the mood for some funk?" She can dance and project, but the voice never showed a trace of personality.
Celebrity is a form of success too, and no one worked that equation like Smith, who rode onto the stage on a throne carried by six bearers to the chant of "The champ is here" and proceeded to build his whole set on the theme of how much his fans love him.
"This kind of reception does my heart good," the star actor and lightweight rapper declared at one point. Later, he soaked up the cheers and turned to his DJ, his old partner from the Fresh Prince days, Jazzy Jeff, and said, "We've got some real fans out there."
Even Stefani, a singer with an alt-rock background, was swept up in the sentiment. "I can't believe my song is No. 1 in the United States of America," for three weeks, she said, referring to "Hollaback Girl." "And it's all because of you."
The No Doubt singer's first formal solo appearance here (she popped up unannounced at KIIS and KROQ shows last year) was also highly anticipated, judging by the scream-meter, but despite her perch atop the chart, her performance seemed uncharacteristically flat and mechanical.
