Concert Review: SAINt Jhn Live In NZ

Walking into the Powerstation on a Saturday night, I had no idea what to expect. Saint Jhn aka Ghetto Lenny was due to end his New Zealand and Australia tour right here in Auckland and as he intensely commanded at the start of his show, “tonight we go the f*ck up”. With a voice as smooth as butter, he really wasn’t joking.

As it was Saint Jhn’s first time here in Aotearoa, I seriously had no idea what his concert experience would be like or if he had many fans here. Walking into the venue, to my surprise, I was met with a nearly packed out crowd who were all moving from the stage to the bar, dancing, chatting. It was quite literally a vibe. I looked up at the stage and no wonder it was such a good atmosphere, it was ‘cause 1 half of the Katayanagi Twins, DJ Fine China was on the decks providing us with good tunes. They always have the best up to date rap and hip hop and China was keeping us happy and turnt until the man of the hour was ready to bless the stage. Saint Jhn was set to perform at 10pm so I ended up getting there 15 minutes beforehand. There were concert go-ers in the crowd who weirdly enough had surgical masks on. Not even fashionable face masks but they had like the full on white surgical masks on while being shoulder to shoulder with heaps of other people in the crowd. Like that aint gonna save you hunny. Anyway, Saint Jhn kept us waiting for like half an hour longer than expected and you could tell the crowd was getting reckless but the good music sustained them. To my surprise, a group of people in the crowd had a mini moshpit going for about 15 minutes. I was so shocked like, could this be? A New Zealand crowd that knows how to mosh? I was baffled. I love a good moshpit. I was told Saint Jhn normally goes into the crowd during his shows to do a moshpit of his own so I was very hopeful that the crowd had it on lock.

I guess since it was his last show, he wanted to do it on his own terms and come on whenever he damn well pleased. With the crowd chanting Saint Jhn’s name, the lights blackened out and to the roars of the crowd, Saint Jhn appeared on stage. Wearing black glasses, a black leather jacket, some Jordans and some light pink sweats, Saint Jhn came on with E-N-E-R-G-Y! Jumping, dancing and moving all around the stage, Saint Jhn was hitting every syllable with insane vocals and just… energy. It was so contagious watching him like you just had to reciprocate it. The crowd though, they were singing his lyrics back to him word for word. From the first song to the last. I was so shocked like he really has some seriously loyal fans here, it was so awesome to be at a concert where there’s liveliness from start to finish. Saint Jhn was constantly moving on the stage, he had his hype man in the back providing adlibs, definitely successfully rarking up the crowd. Everyone was jumping and I mean jumping, with their hands up in the air to the point where the venue was literally shaking. I can’t make this sh*t up. Saint Jhn then took off his glasses, then a couple of songs later his jacket, then another couple songs later he was topless and completely drenched in sweat. He looked like a god. Like, up there on the stage, singing his music to adoring fans, he was in his element. In every song, he served us passion and the crowd ate that up and gave it back to him. It was such an unforgettable concert experience, even for me it’s hard to explain how amazing it was. Saint Jhn hit some Lil Uzi shoulder rolls as well as some rockstar headbanging. His dancing coupled with his singing was mesmerizing to watch. He definitely knew how to work the crowd, making the most of all the space not just on the stage but in the venue. He even hyped up the people upstairs by pointing at them while grooving and singing. Saint Jhn was never still. Running through my mind, I’m thinking, without a doubt, this man is a superstar.

The crowd was so hyped up, they even made their own moshpit circle without being told to. I’m standing here like what the f*ck, this is insane. Saint Jhn also has some songs where even just listening to it at home, it makes you feel young and makes all your worries disappear. Hearing it live though, it was like time stood still and we were just living in the moment, infinitely. Few artists can have that effect on you and Saint Jhn is one of them. There were also so many moments where Saint Jhn expected the crowd to sing the words back to him by having no background music and he wouldn’t sing and the crowd successfully did that. So successful that he allowed the crowd to sing so many times. Saint Jhn made this an intimate concert experience by making eye contact with everyone, going up to different people, singing and dancing to em. He went into the crowd more than once, literally no fear or snobbiness or security, he just wanted to vibe. Saint Jhn did, in fact, go into the crowd to open up a moshpit but was met with disappointment. “Y’all in New Zealand y’all should know what to do”, “why do we have to do this”, “open that sh*t the f*ck up”, “this is not a cult, we all know the rules”. In his incredibly intense voice, he does the moshpit more than once because well, he discovered that people here don’t know how to do proper moshpits. I really thought this crowd could’ve done it but they didn’t. Saint Jhn was still happy though, saying this was probably his favourite city - I never believe artists when they say that ‘cause I know they say it in every city. He performed the same songs like 3 times, I was wondering will this man ever stop? Saint Jhn knows how to put on a show, in fact, he threw a whole damn party. He went off with a bang, getting the whole venue jumping and shaking. Saint Jhn literally dropped his mic and walked off the stage to finish it off. Fans left more hyped up at the finish than they were at the start. What a f*cking show. It makes me wonder when he goes mainstream (which he undeniably will), will we ever get an intimate show like this again?

Until next time, Saint Jhn.

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.