AJ Rafael really took us back down memory lane with his comeback Take Me Back Tour. AJ Rafael put on a heartwarming show in his hometown of Los Angeles at the iconic Roxy Theatre. AJ Rafael recently made a comeback to music and has released an original song, “Take Me Back” setting the theme of his music and tour. Having started on YouTube years ago, AJ has made a strong and heartfelt return to the music scene and his fans have been waiting for this for a while.
The Roxy was full of fans, old and new. Opening up for AJ was singer-songwriter, Nieman who came on stage and performed a series of his own songs and a mix of covers too. He performed his own songs such as “100” and his newest track “Confidential”. His performance was very smooth. He did an excellent job getting the crowd going and brought the right energy to start the night.
Up next was AJ Rafael and the fans were so excited. At the back center of the stage are old televisions that displayed videos of when AJ first started out music on YouTube and his journey before a countdown appeared for fans to chant along to.
The countdown ends and AJ Rafael steps out on stage. Up on stage is his band, Chad Manalo on the bass, Mathew Champagne on the drums, and AJ’s long-time friend and collaborator Andrew Rhim on the guitar. AJ performed many throwbacks from his debut album Red Roses such as “Starlit Nights”, “Red Roses”, “Without You” and more. This brought a feeling of nostalgia for the fans who have been there since the beginning with copies of his CD back in 2011. AJ brought out his beautiful wife, Alyssa Rafael on tour. She came out to sing alongside AJ and it was very endearing to see. AJ and Alyssa told us their sweet story of how they met at Disneyland. Together, the two sang a sensational Disney duet melody. Alyssa’s voice is just as beautiful and strong as a Disney princess.
AJ’s show had an incredible lineup of guest singers. Los Angeles was treated with some amazing talents that night. AJ brought out Cathy Nguyen who sang like an angel. Next up, we got actor Simu Liu who wowed the crowd with his cover of “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon and his song “Don’t”. Following Simu Liu, the fans got to see Tori Kelly reunite with AJ who has been his longtime friend since their YouTube days. This was a special moment for the fans as they grew up watching these two start out and grow together. It was sweet to see that Tori had just recently performed a sold-out show for her tour at this very same venue that AJ is playing at. It was a special full-circle moment. Tori Kelly performed “Missin You” and “Mess We Made” on stage with AJ. After Tori, AJ brought out his sisters and mother for his emotional song “My Soldier” dedicating it to his mother who he has so much love and respect for. It was a very heartwarming part of the show and brought tears to my eyes.
AJ closed out the night performing with another special guest, JR Aquino. He ended the show with his song “We Could Happen” with all his fans singing along and all his guests on stage taking a bow. It was a wonderful way to end the night.
AJ Rafael put on one of the most wholesome shows I’ve ever attended. I absolutely recommend checking out his music and seeing him perform live in a city near you in the future!
Photos + Review by Natasha Agharabi | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!