Concert Review: Friday Jams Live

Friday Jams Live returned to Auckland last night for the 3rd year in a row, bringing a stacked lineup of some of the best names in hip hop and RnB. Previously, they’ve brought stars over like Ne-Yo and Sean Paul in 2017 and Usher, Naughty By Nature and Ginuwine in 2018. This year Auckland was blessed with Janet Jackson, Black Eyed Peas (minus Fergie… yeah I don’t get it either), 50 Cent and other huge names that will be mentioned if you keep reading on (wink face). It was held at Western Springs Stadium which I am eternally grateful for because 1) it was muggy as hell yesterday so being outside was a must and 2) I hate going to concerts (and festivals) that are inside buildings because it gets unbelievably hot, sweaty and suffocating. Friday Jams Live is supposed to be the biggest RnB day party so Western Springs Stadium was incredibly suitable for that. Despite the weather being overcast instead of sunny, I was looking forward to my first concert experience at Western Springs.

I finally got in to catch the last bit of Sisqo’s performance. I have to say, I loved his set. He has an incredibly soulful voice and he is such a great entertainer. He had handsome backup dancers which made watching his performance even greater. His black, leather outfit was super stylish and I love how his back up dancers had coordinated outfits like his. His performance was so theatrical in the sense that he constantly engaged with the crowd and hyped them up as well as delivering high-quality entertainment through fantastic dancing and singing. Watching him made me forget about the mess beforehand and I would love to watch him perform again. 

Brandy was on after him and came on in less than 5 minutes. In that intermission, there was a ‘live’ video of Fatman Scoop, the host of Friday Jams Live, in the kitchen doing a little skit which I thought was very entertaining and kept me from getting bored. Anyway, Brandy came on stage with her goddess-like aura radiating off of her. She is absolutely beautiful and the crowd was truly mesmerized by her singing.  Although, when she came on stage her mic wasn’t even on. I remember thinking, damn, how they gonna do Brandy dirty like that but once her mic came on she addressed it and apologized for it not working and took complete control of her set. She would tell the sound techs to turn it up and was pretty much telling them to stop f*cking around with her mic lol. God, I love her. It was such an honour being able to see her perform The Boy Is Mine and I Wanna Be Down in the flesh, both songs which were so impactful in the ’90s.

At this point, it was getting much busier which of course, was expected. Being in the mosh pit can either be really sh*t or an amazing experience. Thank god the urge to want to fight people wasn’t that strong since people in the mosh pit were actually quite nice. I had multiple great interactions and if I’m being honest, that was one of the most interactive crowds I’ve been in. There was a bit of shoving and people pushing their way through but it is expected and well, they were drunk, so, I guess I get it. 

Jason Derulo was next and man, does he have a lot of great songs. It definitely was a vibe dancing to his amped-up songs in the crowd. He also came out to Whatcha Say which is such a classic, I remember recording that song from the radio on my flip phone and listening to it all the time. He had dancers on the stage with him as well and I think it does increase the quality of watching a performance when there are great dancers. Although, it was a bit weird that on the big screen they were constantly showing the white female dancer that I’m sure the cameramen and technicians gave her more coverage than Jason Derulo himself. Not to mention there was another dancer who was a woman of colour and much more talented than they barely showed on the big screen. So, yeah, interesting. Also, was not a fan of the whole ‘womanizer’ theme Jason Derulo had going on. Where he would be standing and the 2 female dancers were bent down tying his shoes and like rubbing all over his body lustfully… You may have a great body Jason but degrading women is a turn-off.

50 Cent was next and god damn was I looking forward to seeing him. They really set a countdown from 90 seconds though (LOL). From 30 seconds would be okay but 90… bit of a reach. Also, I thought the ZM host was Guy Williams and I was very disappointed to find out it wasn’t him. Anyway, when we were counting down from 10 I was so hyped up. When he came out on stage it was like my eyes and ears had been blessed. Truly an icon, right in front of my eyes. Such an amazing experience. He had a live band and they were sooo good and beyond talented. Really it was the best hip hop performance I’ve seen with a live band. He sang I’m The Man and holy f*ck, I was mesmerized by his singing. An actual king. He also brought out members of G-Unit, Tony Yayo and another guy which I couldn’t recognise. It was nothing less than a vibe. It was also so cool how the cameras on the big screen would go to people in the crowd, just dancing and vibing out to his songs.

Black Eyed Peas was on next. I feel like the experience of seeing them live just wasn’t the same without Fergie. They had other women come and perform her part and yeah, it just wasn’t the same. Regardless of that, Black Eyed Peas have some of the most iconic songs of the last decade and it was so awesome to hear it live and to see the crowd react to it. I really am not a fan of when artists “remix” their original songs and perform it differently live, which is what they did. Also, it seemed like they were dragging out their set a bit. Where Is The Love went on for like 10 minutes as well as I Gotta Feeling and yeah it felt like a drag. Props to them, however for still touring the world and performing their songs together. There was also amazing stage pyrotechnics they had for their set and fantastic engagement with the crowd. It really was a sight for sore eyes seeing them perform and watching everyone eat it up and I know they made their night incredibly memorable.

Janet Jackson was the headliner of Friday Jams Live and such an icon. It felt like an honour to share the same space as her. Although, there were a few complaints that she wasn’t that great singing live and had a few technical problems which overall, was quite disappointing and a let down from how high everyone's expectations were. Still, a legend and a queen.

Overall, definitely a great experience. It was just so nice to be around RnB appreciators, like old skool, classic sh*t. Especially as someone who grew up listening to 90’s hip hop and RnB and early 2000’s music, it was worth all the bullsh*t. I hope Friday Jams Live comes back bigger and better in 2020.

Reviewed: Breanna Tugaga-Rogers
Photos: 10Daniel16

About The Writer:

Breanna is a 21 year old uni student who was born in Australia and raised in South Auckland. Half New Zealand European and half Samoan, Breanna is undergoing a Bachelor of Arts, double-majoring in Communications and Sociology. Currently residing in Auckland, Breanna loves hip hop, rap, RnB music and enjoys watching TV shows, movies, travelling, going to concerts and keeping in touch with the latest of pop culture. Breanna especially enjoys writing and using it as an outlet to talk her sh*t. Breanna loves to always integrate her worldview, her background and her experiences into her writing and values your feedback.

About The Photographer:

10Daniel16 is a man of many talents. A photographer, videographer, editor and director, Daniel is a pillar in the local creative scene working with names like SWIDT, Melodownz and has shot some of the best gigs in Auckland city. 10Daniel16 has shot concerts of iconic musicians like 50 Cent, Jhene Aiko, Bas, Denzel Curry, Lil Pump and so much more. Popularly known for his music videos, 10Daniel16 is continuously expanding his skill set and since breaking through the international scene, he is excited for what 2020 has in store for him.