Jay Sean Entertains Fans at Hershey Centre

Despite feeling under the weather, Jay Sean put on a decent but very short performance for his fans on December 19th at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.

The show started almost an hour late and didn’t seem well organized as there were unusually long gaps between sets. Considering the success Jay Sean has experienced I was also very surprised that the venue was less than half full.

The show was opened by Montreal r & b singer Prita Chhabra and was followed by Canadian rapper Imaan Faith. Jay Sean didn’t hit the stage until 10pm and up until that point it was obvious that the crowd was getting more than a little restless.

As soon as Sean came on the stage, there was a mad rush by the audience to the front of the stage, leaving many empty seats behind them. Girls were screaming and trying to get as close to the singer as they could.

Although Jay Sean’s set was only 45 minutes, he certainly made the most of it and did not disappoint his fans – of note and not surprisingly, most were teenage girls.

Sean walked to the centre of the stage and began singing a short version of the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling”. The cover instantly got the crowd cheering – he then paused before launching into his #1 single “Down”. The crowd went into a frenzy and began singing along while many held up their cell phones and cameras taking pictures and videos.

Putting on shows for many years has no doubt allowed Jay Sean to perfect his ability to perform. He was able to keep the crowd’s attention by telling stories and giving background to some of his songs. He also demonstrated his versatility by beat-boxing and improvising on stage with MC Zani.

Sean sang hits from his first two albums as well as a few songs off the new album All or Nothing. Sean ended the concert with his latest single “Do You Remember” before singing an acoustic version of “Down” to the delight of the audience.

Overall, I found the concert to be average and could have been better organized. And considering the number of empty seats, the show could have been better promoted as well. The concert dragged on while the audience waited patiently between acts and I thought Jay Sean’s set should have been longer as well – he certainly has enough material and talent to fill a 60 – 90 minute set. Having said all that, Jay Sean showed no ill effects from being under the weather and performed very well. Also, the acoustic songs added an intimate feel to his set and in my opinion, the acoustic version of “Down” sounded better than the original. Hopefully his next concert in Toronto will fare better than this one.

3 out of 5 stars

Contact Aman Dhanoa at aman@oyetimes.com