Big Time Rush, a household name for many who grew up in the early 2000s and 2010s, brought their over-a-decade-old hit songs back to life at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre on Aug. 25. 

The four-member group, consisting of Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, James Maslow and Carlos PenaVega, starred in a Nickelodeon sitcom that took on the same name as their band, “Big Time Rush.” 

The show aired from 2009 to 2013, totaling over 70 episodes. The boy group’s discography reached over 160 songs, according to Genius.  

When Big Time Rush made their In Real Life Worldwide Tour announcement, they promised to play every song from every episode. Fans, many of whom have loved the four since childhood, couldn’t resist the opportunity to see songs from the show brought to the stage. 

Many in the audience showed their love for the band and the show by dressing up in purple bandanas, helmets, hockey jerseys, tree hats, motion-tracking suits and more — all of which are references to moments in the show. 

To take things a step further, the band invited special guests Stephen Kramer Glickman, infamous for playing the character Gustavo, the music producer, and Katelyn Tarver, who acted as Jo, Schmidt’s character’s girlfriend.  

Glickman kicked off the night by covering Billie Eilish’s song “Bad Guy.” His green suit and loud stage presence demanded the attention of the crowd, getting many to sing along with him.

Tarver entered the stage with a shirt that had “San Diejo” printed on it — a pun meant to highlight the character she used to play. Tarver awed the crowd by singing some of her original songs like “Don’t Eat Pray Love” and “Nicer.”

The catchy melody of ‘oh’s’ from “Big Time Rush” echoed throughout the theater, urging fans to jump out of their seats. Clips from the show flashed across the screen before the group entered the stage. Fans went wild, screaming the lyrics word for word.  

The group kept the energy high by playing “Windows Down,” “Amazing,” “Music Sounds Better,” “Superstar” and “Picture This.” 

Throughout the set, they hyped up the crowd with stage effects including confetti and smoke. They even showed off choreographed dances and directed the audience to wave their arms to the rhythm.  

The group then performed a mashup of “Shot in the Dark” and “Big Night.” 

Afterwards, Glickman entered the stage to play piano. With the members gathered around him, he looked out into the crowd and told fans his family was there to support him. San Diego is Glickman’s hometown. 

Glickman went on to play piano as each member sang a solo song. 

Schmidt sang “Cover Girl,” a song he wrote in 2011, and PenaVega followed with a sentimental song choice, “You’re Not Alone.”  

Henderson had the amphitheatre lit up as he directed the audience through lyrics to wave their phone flashlights to the left, right, back and side during “All Over Again.” 

Maslow ended the solos with “We Are,” the song that the group performed during the TV series finale. He then shouted out San Diego as his hometown. 

To continue a running joke from the show, the group sang the “Turd Song” with Glickman before he exited stage. 

“Stuck,” “24/7,” “Famous,” “Oh Yeah,” “Any Kind Of Guy,” “This Is Our Someday,” “Paralyzed” and “City Is Ours” heated up the stage with pop-rock energy.  

The group slowly made their way off of the main stage and into the audience while singing “Halfway There.” 

By the end of the song, the four members sat in stools, under strings of lights and sang intimate, slower acoustic songs for the seats in the 300 section at the back of the amphitheater. These songs consisted of “Crazy For You,” “Untouchable,” “No Idea” and “Count on You,” where Tarver joined and sang with them.

When they finished the last song, they greeted fans and started searching for a “worldwide girl.” For their song “Worldwide,” each member selects one girl to go on stage for them to sing to.

Katie Koskela, a fourth-year majoring in Interior Architecture at San Diego State University, was chosen to be one of the four girls brought on stage. She had a sign that said “James, I got a Big Time Crush on you,” and her friend’s sign that pointed to Koskela said “BTR’s perfect worldwide girl.” 

Maslow asked her to go on stage, and she gladly accepted. 

“The whole experience overall was absolutely everything I could ever dreamed for,” Koskela said. “It was my ultimate dream of being a worldwide girl. That was something I could never expect and it’s crazy that it happened.” 

Koskela said she was in shock when chosen and while on stage, but she tried to be present and enjoy the moment with her favorite band member as he sang and danced with her.

After that special moment, “Get Up,” “Elevate,” “Blow Your Speakers Out,” “Run Wild” and “Love Me Love Me” had the crowd back on their feet. It felt like a party with the members jumping on trampolines as inflatable balls were released into the audience. 

To wind down their concert, a montage of TV show clips played on screen while “Invisible” and “Time Of Our Life” echoed in the background. Big Time Rush then came out and sang “Nothing Even Matters,” “Song For You,” “I Know You Know,” “If I Ruled The World” and “Confetti Falling.”  

Delilah Tadeo, a second-year student pursuing single-subject teaching art at SDSU, said it was her first time seeing the group live. 

“It was healing the inner child in me,” Tadeo said. “It was very comforting. My younger self would be so excited.”  

When the Big Time Rush members left the stage, the crowd refused to leave. With the lights dimmed out, the audience chanted the band’s name, hoping for an encore. 

The band didn’t let their fans down — they saved two of their top songs for last. In unison, everyone in the theater ended the night singing classic fan favorites “Till I Forget About You” and “Boyfriend.”