In celebration of Jennie’s just-released debut album Ruby, the star hosted a select series of intimate shows to bring her long-awaited record to life surrounded by fans. Deemed ‘The Ruby Experience,’ Jennie set just four dates across Los Angeles, New York and Seoul for her first-ever solo show, closing the U.S. leg with a celebratory and emotional show at Radio City Music Hall.
While Jennie has been playing massive stages and concerts with BLACKPINK since the group’s debut in 2016, Jennie showcased a new kind of energy at this ‘Experience’ that felt like it had an additional element of storytelling and intimacy that typically wouldn’t fit in a K-pop stadium show. Once the bright red curtains lifted to reveal massive LED screens and a full backing band, Ruby’s music box-inspired “Intro : Jane” track played as a ballerina leaped across the stage for the eager audience. Soon enough, the set shifted to reveal Jennie at center stage, wrapped in a pink furry coat, staring and singing to herself in a mirror the bombastic mid-tempo cut “Start a War.”
As the show went on, Jennie went on to drop more of her clothing while simultaneously becoming more visibly confident and excited on stage. From Jennie’s ad-libs over Ruby’s lead single “Mantra” to delivering some of the LP’s more sultry tracks like “Love Hangover” and “Damn Right” with a majorly peekaboo thong, the show felt like it represented a safe space for the superstar to wile out and experiment across the stage.
The show moved quickly with many songs only performed in snippet form throughout the 90-ish minutes of performance, which seemed perfectly apt for her upcoming solo stages at Coachella this year. But as the top-notch technology and visuals projected throughout the fast-moving set, it felt like Ruby could easily be taken on the road to arenas around the world with a more expanded concert that didn’t need to move at such a rapid pace and instead let Jennie full embrace each song, outfit and attitude of the setlist.
Even as the show was winding down and a host of assistants were adjusting her hair on stage, Jennie spoke to the crowd as if they were friends and she couldn’t care less about the professional pampering around her.
“To hold my first show, it’s so special,” she told an adoring NYC audience towards the end of the night, seemingly almost breaking into tears at one point. “Words can’t really describe how I’m feeling, but my album is out in the world and I’m meeting you guys in person for real. I feel like I’m dreaming — it feels crazy!”
But instead, Jennie’s experience seemed focused on the good in the moment.
“I should be sharing all the things that I felt before the album and how I’m feeling right now,” she told the crowd cheering on every world. “But I’m just having a great time and I don’t want to get emotional.”
Instead, the music handled the emotions as the final song of the night “Twin” had Jennie curled up on a red chair as an acoustic guitar backed her for the LP’s final, acoustic track which the star has shared is the most personal cut on the record. While the final, acappella refrains hit Radio City meant to be a quiet and intimate moment, some fans in the audience still broke through to scream and holler, but it didn’t break the circumstances surrounding ‘The Ruby Experience’ as a generous offering of Jennie’s musical mind and a truly personal pop performance.
Jennie’s ‘The Ruby Experience’ Setlist:
Intro : Jane
Start a War
Handlebars
Mantra
Love Hangover
ZEN
Damn Right
Seoul City
Like Jennie
With the IE (Way Up)
ExtraL
F.T.S.
Filter
Starlight
Twin