A Night with Jade

Last night, the YW team was invited to Jade's private listening party at Ella. We attended as friends, but also as press for Jade, GFC and Scott on the Rocks. The invitation requested formal dress only, so I put on my blazer and a tie, grabbed my camera, and hopped in a cab to the LES. I was expecting a small gathering in the candle lit downstairs room of Ella, a small space with with a max capacity of 95 people. My intent was to photograph Jade performing her beautiful melodies in an intimate setting on a relaxing Monday night. 

When we got downstairs, we couldn't even get through the doorway. The room was 130% jam-packed, the "formal dress only" somehow became fitteds and hoodies, and I didn't even have enough elbow room to lift up my camera. We stood in the doorway, with no stage in sight, while Jade performed her three song set. 

I'm a firm believer that when someone does well they should be rewarded, and when someone does poorly, they should be criticized. Inviting 300 people to an "intimate and private" concert in a room with a max capacity of 70 people is just careless (as is claiming to have a guest list and not having one). Everyone who came out, expected to be VIP, not cattle. I'm not saying that I require to be in the presence of very important people, but rather, I require to know why I'm leaving my crib on a Monday night. There are plenty of venues in NYC where her team could've hosted the event and where the crowd could've spaciously and visually enjoyed her performance. In the end, that's what matters. The trendy neighborhood, lounge and scene are all secondary. In the business of promoting, nothing is worse than false advertising. 

All this aside, let me be clear: Jade is a star. Barely anyone could see her 5 foot frame, but at one point during a slower ballad, I caught myself completely frozen, in awe of her voice. I looked around and saw a room of predominately male attendees entranced in a dreamworld. She has one of those voices that paralyzes you, rendering you dazed and motionless, until you realize that you should probably be bobbing your head, two stepping, or cheering. She was fantastic. 

Aside from the unfortunate negatives, this party was a wild success. Being over capacity at a concert is a great sign for an artist's future. GFC and Jason Scott have done a wonderful job with Jade. Judging from the conversation I had with him last night, he has big plans for her this summer. Get hyped! Download Jade's album tomorrow (April 1st) by clicking here.