Jake Miller concluded his 2023 United States tour with an electrifying performance at the House of Blues’ Voodoo Room. The final show of his “Note to Self” tour took place this past Sunday on Oct. 15.
Jake Miller has been making music since he was in high school. He made his debut with his first album “Us Against Them” in 2014. Amber Giang, a senior at the University of San Diego has been a fan of Miller since the artist’s career took off. Giang noted one of the reasons she has been captivated by his music for so long is because his music changes with him.
Fans of Miller, many of whom have been longtime supporters, gathered excitedly to watch him perform. Former San Diego State University student Aleah Durkee spoke about meeting Miller on his last tour.
“I’ve been following him since 2011,” Durkee said. “He’s very nice and genuine.”
The show started at 7:30 p.m. and opened with HARIZ, a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter who has accompanied Miller for the entirety of the U.S. tour. HARIZ arrived on stage and gave a magnetic performance that instantly captivated the audience.
During his act, HARIZ made the concert inclusive to everyone, taking the time to teach the crowd some of the choruses to his songs.
“It’s been mind and life-changing,” HARIZ said. “I’m learning more about myself meeting people on the road and really crafting what I want to do.”
After HARIZ concluded his performance, Franklin Jonas was next to perform. Jonas came on stage dressed head to toe in a rat costume, which hinted at his latest album, “Sewer Rat.” Jonas gave a fun-filled performance that kept the crowd on their toes.
Around 9:30 p.m, Miller arrived on stage accompanied by his bandmates, drummer Kevin Smart and guitarist Dan Burke.
Both Burke and Smart have been playing with Jake for years and have played the entire 28-show tour. Burke creates music of his own as the lead singer of a band called Twentylove. Smart, however, recently joined Burke and began playing with the band.
“I feel like this tour has been a new era for Jake (Miller),” Smart said. “We really redefined what the show is. The show has evolved more than ever and is now more mature and engaging.”
Miller opened his set with “Good Thing” and the crowd went wild after which Miller immediately went into his next song “Saved Me.”
Miller stood for the entirety of the show, utilizing the whole stage and dancing along to every song. For songs like “Could Have Been You,” Miller performed the song on his red electric keyboard.
The artist also played fan favorites like “Wait For You” and “Automatic.” Miller proudly told the audience that “Automatic” now has over 50 million streams.
He then brought the setlist back to the beginning, asking the crowd, “Who’s been listening to my music since 2014?” He proceeded to play four of his earlier songs as a throwback.
Miller also performed “A Million Lives,” a song written in dedication to his fans that features snippets of fan letters he has received over the years.
Raquel Pena, another audience member, said that “A Million Lives” changed her life and made her feel more connected to the fanbase and artist.
Jake Miller has over 200 songs out. For every show, he dedicates time to take audience requests and plays a chorus from a few of them.
For this show, some of the requested songs he played were “Collide” off his debut album and “Beast Mode,” which he wrote back in high school.
The singer-songwriter concluded the set with his song “Note To Self,” a perfect way to close out the tour.
“I’m not ready for it to be over,” Burke said. “I wish we had more shows.”
To stay posted on the artist’s upcoming shows, fans can visit Miller’s Instagram for further updates.
