Jhayco Brought Rock Star Energy to the Kaseya Center

Have you ever been to a reggaeton show that also feels like a rock show? That was the idea behind Jhayco's performance at the Kaseya Center on Friday, November 1.

Before "el Murcielago," as Jhayco likes to refer to himself, hopped on stage, up-and-coming urbano singer De La Rose took to the stage to perform her songs, such as her Omar Courtz-assisted hit "Kyoto" and "WYA Remix Red."

After De La Rose wrapped up, the audience waited patiently until 9:20 p.m. when the house went dim.

As the singer told New Times back in September, Jhayco's new album, Le Clique: Vida Rockstar (X), is largely inspired by the rock-star life and skateboarding culture. At the Kaseya, Jhayco took it up a notch, appearing onstage in a black cloak and hood that would later reveal black clothing underneath, alongside a guitarist as the first notes of "Vida Rockstar" came out of the speakers. While Jhayco isn't exactly Billie Joe Armstrong or James Hetfield, he does hold his own as a performer, and the live band only helped add to the newly added elements of his "Vida Rockstar" era.

The stage production included a giant LED screen above Jhayco that would project graphics and live footage of Jhayco's performance from different angles. Three giant lighting rigs resembling Xs flashed in various colors and a light show that felt more appropriate for a rave than an urbano music concert.

After "Vida Rockstar," Jhayco kept the energy high, performing back-to-back-to-back-to-back hits such as "Holanda," "Tarot," "Fiel," and "Corazon Roto." It was wild for him to go through many of his more popular songs in succession so early into his set. Perhaps it was Jhayco's way of reminding everyone how many hits he has under his belt.

Soon, the lights on the stage dimmed down, and a storm in the middle of the sea was projected onto the giant screen, and the Afrobeat-influenced beat of "Passoa" began to play. Naturally, Jhayco had to dedicate the song to all the bebecitas in the crowd.

Soon, Colombian singer Beéle came onstage to perform his song "Frente al Mar," which would be the first of several surprise appearances. After Beéle's performance, Jhayco continued with his songs "512" and "Memorias," sadly without an appearance by Mora.

Soon, the lights turned bright red, and footage of cars rapidly driving on a bridge was projected on the screen. Jhayco announced that the next song should be listened to during late-night drives, especially through South Beach, before breaking into "Habibi." It was a somber moment during a show that has mostly been such a rush of adrenaline.
However, that rock-star vibes came back when Dominican dembow act El Alfa came out as the second guest of the night to perform the club banger "4K." El Alfa stayed on stage playing "La Mama de la Mama" and "Este" while promoting his upcoming November 27 show at the venue, which he warned would be his last for a while.

Soon, Jhayco returned to the stage in a leather jacket, shirt, tie, and khaki skirt as the guitarist played the opening notes to "Medusa." The heavily distorted guitar helped build the mood of a reggaeton-rock show akin to how Playboi Carti uses a rock band during his live performances to project a similar vibe.

He followed it up with the Tainy-produced "PaSiempre," performing his portion of the song to the crowd.

His last guest of the night was opener De La Rose, who returned on stage to sing "Que Vas Hacer Hoy?" with Jhayco filling in for Omar Courtz. Jhayco told the crowd that he brought De La Rose on tour to highlight one of the best up-and-coming reggaetoneras in the game.

After De La Rosa left the stage, Jhayco talked about his favorite nightclub in the world, 58 in San Juan, and broke into the first few minutes of the track of the same name. Afterward, he got into a more mellow mood, sitting on a stool beside his guitarist to perform "Como Se Siente," and got even more sentimental as he played the emotional "Joe" for the first time.

He closed off the night by performing the throwback "Imaginaste" and "No Me Conoce," singing some of his verses and those of J Balvin and Bad Bunny. He closed out the night playing the now-classic "Dakiti" as he said goodbye to the crowd.

And as quickly as it started, it was over, which was a shame. Bangers like "Los Bo" and "Fantasma," as well as new tracks like "Ferragamo" and "El Fina," were omitted from the setlist. If songs weren't completely left off, they were sometimes shortened, like in the case of "Le Clique" and "58." Ultimately, the opening night of the Vida Rockstar tour left me wanting more — perhaps that was Jhayco's intention all along.

Setlist:
- "Vida Rockstar"
- "Holanda"
- "Tarot"
- "Mami Chula"
- "Fiel"
- "Corazón Roto"
- "Bby Boo"
- "Passoa"
- "512"
- "Memorias"
- "En La De Ella"
- "Cuerpecito"
- "En To Lao"
- "Habibi"
- "Medusa"
- "Le Clique"
- "No Entiendo"
- "PaSiempre"
- "3D"
- "58"
- "Como Se Siente"
- "Joe"
- "LeySeca"
- "Imaginaste"
- "No Me Conoce"
- "Dakiti"