Online recently, Jennie has faced some backlash for inconsistent performances on stage, ranging from zoning out on tour with Blackpink, to putting full effort for her Paris shows and half effort for her other solo sets. So going into the weekend one performance, I wanted to see which Jennie California got to experience.
She started her set with Filter, dressed in a red leather jacket and a matching cowboy hat. She was pretty high energy to start the set, not missing a step of choreography and having an outfit change on stage. Personally, I’m not a fan of the song, but the performance was good.
Manta opened with a new mix and a full dance break between Filter and Mantra starting. But the crowd’s energy when she started the songs was great. A mix of the backtrack and fans singing the song made it hard to tell which bits Jennie was singing, though she also had a headset mic on, so it wasn’t easy to tell in terms of when she would have a mic to her mouth vs not. Performance-wise, there was a lot of motion and energy, with at least two more dance breaks, as the chorus chanted, “Go Jennie!”
Some of the mixes she performed during week one really felt like being in a club versus a Coachella performance, especially the Mantra closing mix.
Jennie grabbed a red cropped top and popped it over her crop top as she started Handlebars. The choreography was quite simple, but Jennie’s mic was on and loud. It was a cute set.
Although this was one of my least favourite songs from the album, it was nice to see performed live. I do wish she had a handheld mic for this track, as I think this is a sing into the mic song vs a dancey song that needs a hands-free mic. There were moments when the backing track was louder than Jennie, which was a shame.
She donned a floor-length red leather coat and some sleek black sunglasses – most likely Gentle Monster. As she performed Zen, the stage felt like it came to life. The dancers brought the energy, and Jennie’s vocals were unmatched. The visuals in the background harkened to the music video and elevated the performance.
Jennie’s vocals were the star during this song, and thankfully, the mic was on. With her red coat and a dream she sang her heart out. I would have loved for the rest of her set to feel this connected with fans.
Damn Right saw Jennie wear a white scrappy skirt over her shorts. This song is one of my favourites from the album, and the performance was immaculate R&B excellence. Fans were delighted as Kali Uchis joined Jennie on stage to sing Damn Right, also dressed in ruby red. Hearing Jennie and Kali sing together was spectacular. Their voices work really well together, and I hope they collaborate again in the future.
Although Dominic Fike didn’t join her on stage, Jennie mixed his verse to open the song with this distorted version that sounded very cool. Fans did the heavy lifting during the chorus, but the song was fun to watch, as dancers were having a blast, and you could tell.
The song started with a dance as Jennie served minimal vocals until the first verse. The backing track here also felt a touch loud, as there were moments where Jennie was singing, but you actually couldn’t hear her clearly on stream. I liked how understated the dance for this song was, opting to dance with one dancer at a time in carefully choreographed sequences.
She started this song with an extended opening and a minor dance break, before taking to the mic to rap her opening verse. The handheld mic made it very obvious when she wasn’t singing, which was the majority of the song, opting to hide this during the chorus by asking fans to “sing it for me”. Her dancing effort felt a little lower, but she was keeping up with her backup dancers.
Out of breath, Jennie exclaimed, “Let’s go!” before starting with the IE (way up), which she did sing more of, but she had less intense choreography for this track. The stage presence did feel more impactful, as her entourage of dancers maintained the energy Jennie was lacking.
The recently trending song, like Jennie, drew screams and cheers from the crowd, also starting with a new mix and a mini dance break. Jennie, knowing the popularity of the song, hit the crowd with an “I know you’ve been waiting for this one” before jumping straight into the song. Favouring the choreography to the lyrics, Jennie went all in with the dancing on this stage, with full energy. She picked up on the rapping during verse two, the crowd going wild as she delivered her lines. I really like the mix of this song for the Coachella stage.
With fans chanting for her return to the stage, Jennie donned a red racer jacket as she closed her set with Starlight. A beautiful ballad opened the song before the club-like instrumental kicked in, and the crowd started to jump. It was kind of the perfect song for Coachella, with the song’s EDM theme. Jennie genuinely looked like she was having the time of her life singing this song.
Overall, despite what netizens were saying about her show, she actually did put in the effort and it showed to the crowd, as she has been known for putting on lack lustre shows since her early Blackpink days and hopefully she keeps up the effort and builds her stamina more as the group has a tour this summer.
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