Fans of all ages convened at The Foundry for the ‘Wait For You Tour’
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
Dozens of teens (and quite a few more-than-supportive parents) were surely nodding off at their desks on the morning of Friday, April 26. But for them, one night of sleep deprivation was completely worth what they experienced the evening before.
That Thursday at Philadelphia’s The Foundry, 26-year-old pop/rap/R&B artist Jake Miller brought his “Wait For You Tour” to local fans, directly on the heels of the release of his latest EP Based On A True Story.
Miller, a Weston, Florida native, has been a steady presence in the music scene since 2012, releasing three full-length albums and six EPs. Despite parting ways several years ago with his original label, Warner Bros. Records, and spending time as an independent artist before getting picked up by Sony’s RED MUSIC in 2018, Miller’s fan base, widely-known as the “Millertary” stuck by their idol through it all.
At approximately 7 p.m., attendees began excitedly entering the venue. Though the majority were in their late teens, Miller’s appeal isn’t strictly limited to this group. Middle-aged women who weren’t forced to the show by their millennial daughters could be seen at the bar area, while 20-something-year-old guys donning Spiderman suits kickstarted a breakdancing battle in the middle of the floor.
The first support act was Just Seconds Apart, a trio of 19-year-old triplets Sela, Ari and Alex Poulos from Scottsdale, Arizona. Though the siblings are still in the early stages of their careers, they know how to capture a crowd’s attention. With catchy originals and powerhouse covers of popular tracks like Post Malone’s “Better Now,” it’s safe to say Just Seconds Apart gained a number of new fans that night.
Next up was 29-year-old singer/actor Logan Henderson, best known as a former member of the Nickelodeon boy band Big Time Rush. As most Nickelodeon and Disney artists so often do, Henderson is working to shed that “good guy” image that was attached to him during his time on the 2009 comedy series. Immersed in dark, moody lighting throughout his entire set, he performed tracks from his debut EP End of the World, which was released on April 12.
Even with this more mature image and sound, which includes innuendo-filled songs like “Bite My Tongue” and “Pull Me Deep,” Henderson hasn’t lost those original Big Time Rush fans, who could be spotted in BTR T-shirts singing every lyric back to him. In addition to the new music, Henderson’s set was sprinkled with covers of “Talking Body” by Tove Lo and “One Kiss” by Dua Lipa.
Finally, at 9:30 p.m., the man of the hour appeared on stage. Miller was met with a roar of high-pitched screams, and cellphones rose into the air in unison to capture the artist in his loose-fitting black tank top, which, to every female’s delight, showed off his signature biceps.
A true showman who knows how to work a crowd, Miller bounded from the left side of the stage to the right, interacting with his captivated audience while singing his brand new single “Nikes.” He then transitioned into “Think About Us” and “The Girl That’s Underneath,” both from 2018’s Silver Lining, which Miller wrote, recorded and produced by himself in his bedroom studio.
For Miller’s “OG” fans, the ones who have followed and supported him from his early days, he made sure to include older tracks such as the earworm-inducing “Dazed and Confused” from 2014’s Lion Heart, and his first hit single “Collide,” which is featured on the 2013 full-length Us Against Them.
Rather than simply diving into one song after another, Miller took time to talk about the story and inspiration behind each. One example was the crowd-favorite “Selfish Girls” from his 2015 release Rumors.
“I was backstage at a Tampa Jingle Ball, this was like 2013 or 2014, and it was my first arena show ever,” Miller said. “I was really nervous, and I was with my parents and my friends in the green room backstage, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. And so I grabbed my guitar, I went in the corner and I wrote my first song on the guitar, which turned out to be ‘Selfish Girls.’”
Another was the Miller staple, “A Million Lives,” a touching track about how his sole mission isn’t fame or glory — it’s to bring happiness and hope to anyone who listens to his music.
The concert wrapped up with another major Miller hit “First Flight Home,” followed by his latest single “Wait For You,” which quickly climbed to the Top 40 on the Billboard charts.
Afterward, a select number of dedicated fans with unlimited patience waited nearly 30 minutes on the Northern Liberties sidewalk, hoping for a glimpse of Miller as he walked to his tour bus. Their diligence paid off, and they got to briefly chat and take selfies with Miller before he set out for the next stop on the tour. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
