JAY B Serenades Los Angeles as He Kicks Off tape: roots Tour
Updated: 25 minutes ago
Written and Photo by Rebecca Rowe
| Ahgase Bestie, JAY B, fills his latest tour with emotion, heavy vocals, dancing and humor while highlighting his evolution as an artist.
K-Pop star JAY B kicked off the U.S. leg of his solo tour "tape: roots" on September 13th in Los Angeles.
The GOT7 leader looked happy to greet Ahgase who have supported him through the last 14 years. After a tumultuous tour last year, both the fans and artist worried he may not come back to the U.S. "Last year, me and my crew worked really hard but it left a bad memory so I did wonder if it was the right thing to come again this year." He reminded fans, "I knew you guys were waiting and I know how you felt."
But despite some sour memories, fans clamored into the theatre excited to continue to support JAY B, and prove to him that coming back to the U.S. was worth it.
While past performances focused on dance heavy tracks tape: roots emphasized JAY B's vocal strength. "Dive into you," which featured on Crazy Love OST was a standout moment, as the singer stood center stage powerfully belting out the heartfelt love ballad.
His latest EP TR.EE filled the setlist, groovy R&B tracks "Time," "We," and "One Call Away" highlighted his smooth and sultry vocals while "Hold Onto My Back" and "Layback" showcased his signature falsetto and alluring choreography.
JAY B's humor was bright throughout the night, each VCR centered around JAY B promoting his new, but unfortunately not real, perfume "SMELLS LIKE JAY B." In one VCR (which read as an advertisement complete with its own jingle) he appeared as "Dr. Jay" while dancing around for several minutes, ending the bit with him breaking character laughing at the ridiculousness. He also spent the night teasing and bantering with fans. Dad to 3 cats, JAY B knows his way around a firm "no." With this idol, fan service only gets you so far, as he frequently repeats this "no," complete with a disapproving finger wag when he reminds fans that he could be their bestie, but never their boyfriend. During an interaction with the crowd, he intentionally deepened his voice to chat with a boyfriend he presumed was dragged along, beginning “Overflow” in the same voice causing him to laugh throughout the number.
JAY B surprised fans with two unreleased tracks, "Sweetie" and "Head to Toe," before teasing a two song album release on September 21st. He was tight-lipped about details, going back and forth debating if he should reveal more details, but did eventually reveal that the release would not be under the name “JAY B.”
Encore tracks, including remixed versions of “Switch It Up,” “Go Up,” “Break It Down” and “Fountain of Youth,” provided a hyped and carefree moment between both the artist and fans. JAY B took a moment to walk the floor, greeting fans through the aisles before jumping back on stage to launch several sweat-soaked towels through the crowd.
Always respecting his roots, JAY B closed the night with GOT7 tracks “Thursday,” “PAGE” and nostalgic 2015 track “Before The Full Moon Rises.”
Los Angeles was a triumphant kick off to a second U.S. solo tour, bringing renewed energy, loud cheers and support, friendly interactions accompanied by a theatre full of Ahgase singing and dancing to each song.
tape: roots showcased all sides of JAY B, bringing along his evolution of sound through past and recent solo releases, nostalgic GOT7 numbers and new songs to look forward to. With new music on the horizon, Ahgase continue to show their unwavering support for JAY B as he continues to transform throughout his solo career.
tape: roots will continue through September with stops in San Francisco, Tacoma, New York and Chicago.
JAY B
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