South Korean singer-songwriter and GOT7 leader Jay B kicked off the US leg of the "2026 tape: roots" Tour at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles on September 13th. After last year's disastrous tour filled with visa-related delays and mismanagement, Jay B is making sure this tour is filled with better memories.
The show started on a fun note with a witty commercial spoof for a fictional cologne called Smells Like Jay B. It’s always nice to see artists have fun and be creative with their art. The video spoofs continued through the night and served as brief intermission breaks. The video had everyone laughing and cheering; fans even asked him at the end of the night to start selling the cologne.
The concert setlist had a little of everything; a mix of solo hits, unreleased music and GOT7 fan favorites. As a nod to the tour title, Jay B’s focused on showcasing his powerhouse vocals through his rooted blend of R&B and soul. His vocals are dynamic with an impressive range. He can hit high notes with control, especially on serenade ballads like “We” and “Dive into You.” His voice has a lot of character, easily showing off emotions of yearning and wistfulness. The last note of “Layback” seemed extra tough to perform as Jay B confessed he needed a breather and jokingly said he thought he was going to die after hitting the high notes. He sang live the entire show. He only relied on the backtrack sparingly, only when he wanted to show off his dance moves with his three backup dancers.
The Wilshire Ebell Theatre is a small theater, which made the night feel more intimate and personable. Jay B is a veteran performer and knows how to charm the crowd with his charismatic personality. As a result, the crowd was extra rowdy and would scream out to him any chance they got. Although Jay B is not fluent in English and would occasionally use a translator, he still played along with the fans and tried to answer as many questions as possible while joking around. During one of the talking segments, Jay B revealed he will officially be releasing “Sweetie” at the end of October along with another untitled song.
The highlight of the night was the encore performance as Jay B let loose and amped up the crowd with dance moves and occasional shirt lifting. As he was vibing to the music and energy from the crowd, he jumped down from the stage and walked through every aisle, high-fiving fans and interacting with everyone. Jay B ended his set on a high note with a medley of GOT7 songs including “THURSDAY” and “Before the Full Moon Rises.” Fans cheered with thunderous applause and barking noises, leaving him smiling from ear to ear.
The US leg of the "2026 tape: roots" Tour continues through September with stops San Francisco, Tacoma, New York, Dallas and Chicago.
