Jhené Aiko Brings New Light to R&B with Enter The Void Tour

Every year around Christmas time, the Bay Area’s hip-hop and R&B radio station 106 KMEL brings its Holiday House of Soul concert to The Warfield, showcasing upcoming and top R&B acts. This past Wednesday was no different as KMEL and Goldenvoice presented the Enter The Void tour featuring Anderson .Paak, Adrian Marcel, Willow Smith, The Internet, along with headliners SZA and Jhené Aiko. In an industry where hip-hop is the dominant force, this tour shows that R&B is not the last of a dying breed genre, but a new wave of musicians who continue to keep it alive.

Fans lined up along San Francisco’s Market Street hours before the show got underway. Typically at any concert, doors are open at least an hour before show time. However, KMEL didn’t open the venue doors until 15 minutes before the show started, causing some unhappy fans to miss out on witnessing the opening act.

Kicking the show off was Los Angeles singer/songwriter Anderson .Paak. The young star brought his Southern California style to San Francisco rocking a Venice Beach t-shirt and Pharrell-inspired hat. With his DJ and a couple guitarists backing him up, he performed songs from his debut album, Venice. To the crowd’s surprise as he sang, “Miss Right,” he performed a killer drum solo in the middle of the song, showcasing his vast musicianship. This was my first time hearing Anderson’s music, but with his contemporary R&B and pop-rock sound with sensual moves, he undoubtedly gained more fans including myself after his rock-star set.

Next to take the stage was Bay Area native Adrian Marcel. Since the singer released his second mixtape Weak After Next earlier this year and recently touring with Elle Varner, he’s been preparing for the 2015 release of his debut album. He is no stranger to the House of Soul stage as he was also on last year’s lineup. He came on stage with a suave strut, as girls screamed to the top of their lungs for the R&B heartthrob. He gave a few lucky ladies in the audience a single rose to show his appreciation for his fans before singing his hits including “My Life” and “Spending The Night Alone.” He stunned the crowd with a brief a cappella cover of R. Kelly’s “Bump and Grind” before going into his signature party anthem, “2 AM.” Before the Oakland singer left the stage he told the fans, “I do this for the Bay. I don’t know what they do this for, but I do this for my city.” Since the Bay Area doesn’t always receive great respect and artist exposure in comparison to artists hailing from other metropolitan areas, Adrian’s closing statement shows how much he will continue to represent his hometown that deserves more credit in the industry.

It was now time for the girl power part of the show. Teen sensation Willow Smith approached the stage with such a sophisticated presence. Dressed in a gray blazer and black tights, the singer showed her cosmopolitan vibe with her mellow sound. Her cool and mature demeanor showed in such a vast way, to a point where fans were still in disbelief that she is only 14-years-old. Performing songs from her latest EP III, she quickly showed how she is not just the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, but also a young star creating her own identity in the music world. For fans who prefer her older music, she concluded her set with an acoustic piano version of her first hit, “I Whip My Hair.” For someone like me who wasn’t too familiar with Willow’s music, I was pleasantly surprised by her sound and poised stage presence to show how she can rock with her older peers.

Next to take the stage was soulful Los Angeles-based band The Internet. The band under the Odd Future imprint is known for mixing jazz, hip-hop, soul, and pop. Lead singer Syd tha Kyd kept the crowd going with her down-home attire and neo-soul vibes. Although the band has been around since 2011, many fans got immersed in their classic ambiance of a Stevie Wonder sound mixed with a new-age era similar to Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu.

The lights dimmed and the house DJ played today’s hottest songs as the crowd waited for the headliners. Kendrick Lamar’s Top Dawg Entertainment songstress SZA brought her alternative R&B sound to the stage. The singer came out rocking a crop top and yellow track pants as she bounced around with her signature big hair to open with her song, “UR.” Her full band showed their playful personality as they rocked out with her the whole show. She then went into one of my favorite tracks, the hazy and emotional love story on “Warm Winds.” She continued to bring the audience into her friendly realm with songs from her Z album before singing her latest release “Sobriety” and the Marvin Gaye-sampled song, “Sweet November.” Throughout her set, she asked the audience if they were having a good time in her sweet voice tone, leaving fans in awe of her girl-next-door personality.

As the curtains closed, many fans moved closer to the front of the stage with their cell phones camera-ready to make sure they get perfect pictures and videos. There were several fans adorned with Jhené Aiko’s signature cat ears, showing how much they love the singer’s free spirit style. Once the curtain opened and the beat dropped, the air was filled with cell phone screens as Jhené sat on the stage floor to “Limbo Limbo Limbo.” The stage had a bedroom ambiance with pillows, lanterns, and candles, creating a calm and serene atmosphere. Since releasing her debut album Souled Out back in September, previously touring with acts such as Schoolboy Q and The Weeknd, and earning three Grammy award nominations, this nationwide tour is one of the biggest staples in Jhené’s career. As she floated across the stage in her black attire, she continued her set filled with her love, life, and heartbreak-filled songs including “To Love and Die,” “Spotless Mind,” and “Do Better Blues.”

In the middle of her set, she mentioned how her brother was a huge fan of the San Francisco 49ers, many fans cheered as other fans began chanting “Raider Nation” in contrast. One fan threw a 49er t-shirt on stage for the Souled Out singer to keep as she said, “The Bay always has the best crowd.”

Out of all the songs and brief stories she told throughout her set, the one that stood out the most was about her brother’s last tweet before he passed away. His last tweet said, “Why aren’t you smiling?” which gave Jhené the inspiration to write the song, “W.A.Y.S.” She told fans, “I know a lot of us are going through things that make us give up on our dreams, but I think we owe it to the people that we’ve lost too soon to continue to follow our dreams and to keep going.” Fans applauded with a few “Amen” shouts before she sang the inspirational song. As fans swayed in the crowd, she ended her hour-long set with one of her recent hits, “The Worst.” She thanked the crowd as they gave her a standing ovation before leaving the venue with a deeper appreciation for soulful music. So what’s the melody behind the Enter The Void tour? Each artist in the lineup has a unique style and sound, proving to audiences that artists don’t always have to convert to popular trends in order to be successful and showing how R&B music is not completely dead.