Photos by Andy Argyrakis

It’s been impossible to pinpoint Flo Rida since he burst out of the radio circa the late 2000s, armed with an Atlantic Records contact and some seriously contagious pop meets hip-hop and electronic beats.

He’s been unstoppable ever since, adding entrepreneur and philanthropist to over 100 million record sales, which meant wall to wall people standing inside the always superb-sounding and flashy-looking Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana.

Throughout a couple high-octane hours, the singer/songwriter/rapper, the IMG All Stars and a DJ unfurled nothing but humongous hits upon an audience of varying ages primed to dance.

They had tons of original, sampled and collaborative opportunities, starting with “Right Round,” its ingenious incorporation of Dead Or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” and the steady spray of freshly uncorked champagne.

Soon after, “In The Ayer” moved everyone’s hands precisely in that position, Stars’ “Shotz” was met with tons of Patrón toasts, “Where Them Girls At” got even crazier and “Low” led to a few dozen women being invited on stage.

The steam kept rising come the throbbing stretch of “Club Can’t Handle Me,” “Whistle” and “GDFR” as the fellas jumped up and join the festivities, though a few more lucky ladies may very well have matched their energized vibe while substituting for Sia during “Wild Ones.”

Though it’s been a decade and change since Flo Rida released his latest full-length project named after the latter, there’s been no shortage of singles, such as the local debut of “What A Night,” centered around The Four Seasons’ oldie, plus “Good Girls On Vacation,” a sun-soaked bounce to help beat the winter blues.

An out of the blue autographed shoe giveaway extended the communal feeling, “My House” made the Hard Rock feel like the headliner’s home and “I Cry,” featuring sped up lyrics from Brenda Russell’s “Piano In The Dark,” gave all glory to God above.

Besides being possibly the most lit party the relatively new venue has hosted thus far, Flo Rida left nothing but a “Good Feeling” behind where attendees could check check their cares at the door and come out feeling at least a little bit lighter than before.

For additional information on Flo Rida, visit Facebook.com/OfficialFlo.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include Ron White (Jan. 20); The Commodores and The Spinners (Jan. 26); Tim Allen (Jan. 27); Marlon Wayans (Feb. 2); George Lopez (Feb. 3); Rod Stewart (Feb. 10); Hannah Berner (Mar. 1); Bill Burr (Mar. 8); Peter Frampton (Mar. 18); Nikki Glaser (Mar. 22); Leela James (Mar. 30); Chippendales (Apr. 5-6); Matt Fraser (Apr. 11); Anthony Jeselnik (Apr. 18); Godsmack (Apr. 20); Chelsea Handler (Apr. 26); Trace Adkins (Apr. 27); David Foster & Katharine McPhee (May 4); Ben Schwartz (Jun. 14); Kevin James (Jun. 15) and Jason Mraz (Jul. 19). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

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