eaJ's Energetic Entrance into his first Headlining NA Tour

With a line wrapped around the block and then some, LA local eaJ’s presence was deep-set in San Francisco Sunday night. August Hall was sold out for the first stop on the In Insomnia tour, the artist’s first independent headlining tour across North America. Park is a former member of K-pop band DAY6, but he broke away from the band at the end of 2021 after deciding he needed a break from the realm of K-pop. Although riding solo now, his fans remain faithful, many bringing him posters and memorabilia. There was an immediate personal feel to the evening as the artist hung out at the merch table before his set.

Stephanie Poetri , a young Indonesian artist signed with 88rising opened up the night, with a bubbly personality that shined across the stage. Best-known for “I Love You 3000,” a love song with an obvious ode to Avengers: Endgame, Poetri gave an upbeat and exciting performance that was filled with charming moments like a cover of K-pop song “Super Shy” which got everyone dancing to the iconic NewJeans “Super Shy” music video dance alongside her. She performed her newest single, “Never Really Easy,” a song about trying to convey love to someone else for the first time. My favorite part of her performance was when the young artist covered the infamous Owl City song “Fireflies,” to which everyone knew the lyrics and displayed phone flashlights in unison. Her set was the perfect way to excite the audience for the performance that eaJ would give next.

He made his way onto the stage, framed by a bare set and just a screen, making it so that his performance was focused on just his vocals and stage presence Jae was entirely personal throughout his set, stating that there would be no facades when it came to how he performed because, for the first time, he simply wanted to be himself. In between dancing and standing on the speakers, he said nothing else mattered but being honest to himself and to the crowd. The concert was filled with vulnerability as a result. Park discussed his battles with anxiety, his people-pleasing nature, and battling addiction. Songs like “enemy” and “sober go away” spoke to the struggles of mental health that Park experienced as a young adult. It was hard not to be proud of how much he’s overcome, and what he shared struck a chord with the mental health struggles that I have faced in my own life. Beyond these more serious topics, his lyrics also relate to the common young adult experience such as trying to find love, like on songs “in my civic” and “lennon,” both from his recent EP releases medicated insomnia (2023) and smiling in insomnia (2023) respectively. “Typical Story” and “LA STARS” explored themes of post-graduate adulthood.

Personal favorites of mine from his set were “MAD,” a new unreleased song that has been stuck in my head since Sunday night thanks to its catchy beat and strong lyrics, “enemy,” which deals with the anger of falling out with someone, and “VISIONS,” written for the popular Riot Games FPS (first-person shooter) game VALORANT. These three songs carried a sort of angst and anger that fused with pop in such a unique way, distinguishing themselves from other songs of the night. To close the set, eaJ finished with two of his most popular songs, “castle in the sky,” and “Car Crash,” also performing an unreleased song called “Forest.” Jae truly put on a show with these final three, belting high notes and singing riffs that blew the audience away. During his encore of “Car Crash,” the artist walked through the pit to chat with those at the barrier. He made his way through GA as well to create a mosh pit during the chorus, and then paid special attention to the balcony after the music’s end, giving hugs and selfies to fans in all sections of the venue. The fact that the singer decided to stay and try to meet as many of his fans as he could demonstrated the love that he had for everyone who came, and how much performing to others means to him. As eaJ begins his North American tour, with stops in Texas and New York, it will be interesting to see how his set list will evolve and his performances continue to enthrall audiences. I cannot wait to see what comes next for Park in his solo career, and will definitely be following him with all of his future releases.