When he’s not streaming on Twitch, pop-rock vocalist and songwriter eaJ creates emotionally charged, thought-provoking songs that transform the way his listeners take in the world around them. With the release of his latest EP, 1, eaJ celebrated the best way possible! An intimate Los Angeles-based show at The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Initially planned as a one-off performance, demand drew eaJ to add a second night of celebration, which would take place for those attending on Sunday, June 29. However, those of us attending night 1 on Friday, June 27, would get an instant taste and boost of positivity within the community that those attending night 2 would soon feel themselves.
With doors scheduled to open at 7:30 pm for those without VIP early entry, I arrived a little before and quickly found the fast-moving line as the friendly staff got everyone positioned correctly closer to The Masonic Lodge’s entrance. Here I would find myself chatting with various eager fans sharing their stories of eaJ and some noting how memorable a show within the confines of a cemetery would be.
The time from arrival and doors opening would fly by as staff scanned in our tickets, and we began our ascent up the stairs into the historic venue, where we would be met with a unique hangout spot equipped with the merch booth and the venue’s refreshment bar. For those wondering about merch, there were a few options for shirts and sweaters as well as a few trinkets.
I quickly found a comfortable side bench within the venue’s floor and hunkered down as time moved on rapidly, the room began to fill with a few eager fans donning lightsticks and phones at the ready. It wouldn’t be too long before eaJ himself would grace us with a tease from the venue’s top balcony as he greeted guests and got the floor crowd pre-pumped for the experience that would soon kick off.
The music coming through the house speakers would quiet, the lights would come down, and fans would begin to find themselves weaving in and out of eaJ’s red string, bringing everyone together and closer to himself as he made his entrace through the crowd as we all sang along to “right where you left me.” Instantly creating a one-of-a-kind memory as eaJ danced, jumped, and took in every moment of the euphoric experience.
After getting himself up to the stage where he would combine his energy with his sensational backing band, who completely added their own unique flair and style to the already supercharged songs, would jump into my favorite song, “friendly fire,” and I can tell you, with this being my first time witnessing the out of this world energy eaJ gives back to his fans I am now hooked! As the transformation from the studio version of “friendly fire” to the incredibly superior live version took everything to a whole new level as the night continued on.
eaJ would continue to jump through “ruin my life,” “in my civic,” and “mad” while constantly checking on the well-being of the crowd, and interweaving story time throughout the night, pulling back the curtain between artist and fan as he would share stories upon stories while fans lost their minds at the sight of Jae drinking a sip of water that would also result in him providing a fan with the water bottle he took a sip from after conducting a fiery performance of “RED.”
“RED” was an instant standout for me as eaJ brought his Arena Breakout: Infinite featured song to life, creating a chaotic and apocalyptic atmosphere in the intimate walls of The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever. A song I could easily see becoming a mainstay of his setlist going forward, “RED” really upped the ballgame when it comes to eaJ’s vocal delivery and onstage presence as he and his band flipped the night on its head.
Continuing to provide a unique experience for his fans, eaJ would share his reasoning for performing at the intimate venue, sharing that he saw the venue as the perfect spot to celebrate the release of his new EP, 1, calling the night his release party, and what better way than to celebrate with the fans?
eaJ would continue on that he’s been watching the streaming numbers of his latest songs, calling “pause” a real winner among his new batch of experiences. Without much warning, fans would once again lose their minds as eaJ teased the next set of songs, “traveler” and, to their surprise, “typical story.”
Throughout eaJ’s performance of “typical story,” I took a step back, closed my eyes, and truly connected with the lyrics, vocal notes, and wall of sound that was swirling around me. The experience felt familiar, safe, and like a close friend, as the vibrations of the bass lifted my spirit, as I found myself lost with my heartbeat dancing circles along the warm blanket-like feeling of the drum beats, giving myself my own unique experience that I won’t soon forget.
eaJ would bring the tempo of the night back up with an amazing transformative version of fan-favorite, “castle in the sky,” which further blew away my expectations. The crowd became the true show stoppers throughout as they sang along with each note, securing the smile and approval of eaJ himself.
With the clock ticking away, the night was quickly approaching its end, but eaJ still had quite a bit in the tank as he powered through one of my personal favorites off of 1, “merry go round,” which had me rocking out in my own personal bubble as the world melted away.
eaJ would once again address the crowd as he hyped up his upcoming headline performances at Indonesia’s 2025 Prambanan Jazz Festival, also revealing that while he loves performing for bigger crowds at these larger festivals, it’s the intimate showcases like these that he always dreamed of and enjoys the most.
He would also show his own gratitude for everyone in attendance, stating that “time is the most valuable asset.” And, while this might have been my first time experiencing the high energy and emotions of eaJ throughout a live performance, I can comfortably say that it was worth all the time in the world, and I’m already anxious for any other future performances that might come along.
eaJ would go on to perform a cover he has always wanted to tackle, that being Paramore’s mega-hit “The Only Exception,” which presented itself as a nice surprise as I gleefully sang along, even though quite a few around me didn’t seem to want to bother joining their voices with his, or seemed too familiar with the Paramore classic. All I know is I’m sure Hayley Williams herself would have loved eaJ’s performance.
Unfortunately, the night would continue onwards to its end as eaJ perfectly executed performances of “when the rain stops,” “VISIONS,” and “pacman” as fans continued to scream, wave their arms around and completely lose themselves within eaJ’s voice as the night completely took us all for a roller coaster ride that we would never forget.
Closing out with “pacman,” eaJ would address the crowd one final time, urging fans to initially put away their phones, stating, “Now, this is a song where we all put our phones down and we just start jumping,” continuing with, “Masonic, you got me!?” as fans would for one of their final times scream as loud as possible before eaJ would budge just a little with, “If you want to keep your phones up, keep it up, but you gotta jump,” before leading the frenzied crowd into an electrifying performance of “Car Crash.”
Ending his intimate cemetery takeover of The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, the same way it began was the perfect bookend as eaJ made his way once again into the crowd one final time. Unweaving the red string that started all of us on this journey, eaJ would zigzag throughout the crowd as we all sang, jumped, and provided every ounce of energy we had left, hopefully continuing to bring his dreams to life one second at a time.
Night 1 of eaJ’s live shows at The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever proved to be one of my favorite shows I’ve had the pleasure of attending. The energy was infectious, emotionally heavy, and everything one could want when it comes to furthering a connection with an artist that deserves the spotlight that shines upon them. I can only imagine how night 2 will be for those attending, hopefully an even bigger room full of energy that allows time to freeze once again, even if just for a moment.
There are still a limited number of tickets available for eaJ’s performance at The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever on Sunday, June 29, and trust me, if you’re on the fence about attending, I would pick up a ticket and go experience one incredible show.
For those attending the Sunday show, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery will provide parking. Just ask beforehand which areas within their grounds are available, and remember to be respectful to those forever resting. Also, if you would like to check out even more of our pictures from eaJ’s night 1 performance, you can check out our Instagram post dedicated to the show.
