The B-Here Campaign kicked off their 2010 tour at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Performances included singers Jennifer Chung, Joseph Vincent, Clara Chung, and Paul Dateh along with America’s Best Dance Crew alums Kaba Modern and Quest. Comedian Paul “PK” Kim was the MC of the night.
PK opened up the show saying how proud he was that Asian Americans have a voice now, using Youtube and ABDC as examples. He joked, “High school boys are comin’ up to me and they tell me that white girls like Asian guys now! I’m like, ‘What?!’” Although Asian Americans are gaining visibility, one thing in the Asian American community isn’t getting the same awareness, Hepatitis B. PK talked about this disease, which affects 1 out of 10 Asians. They don’t know they’re infected because Hep B has no symptoms. While Kim stated he didn’t know people personally with Hepatitis B, through this tour he had met people who would come up to him and explain their story with the illness. The B-Here tour utilizes Asian American celebrities to help increase awareness through art and events.
At Rutgers, the first performer was Jennifer Chung, who is most known for her cover of Alicia Keys’ “No One.” With her friend Bryan on the guitar, Chung started her set with another Alicia Keys cover, “Unthinkable.” Her set consisted of originals like “How Do You Do It” that had audience participation and “We Are.” She clarified that though the latter is a sad reflection, she is in a happy relationship.
Following Chung was California-based artist Joseph Vincent. In an interview before the show, he revealed that when he gets nervous he gives himself a pep talk. It worked. His excitement being the East Coast for the first time was infectious and the audience was singing along to his medley consisting of Usher’s “DJ Got Us Falling in Love,” Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” and others. He also sang his original, “The Wave.” Vincent sang the Backstreet Boys hit, “I Want It That Way” after joking that the song meant a lot to him.
Third to perform was Clara Chung whose set was creative as can be with the help of violinist Daniel, a wide array of instruments, and the ever handy looper. She performed originals like, “’Til We Go,” “Dear Daphne,” and “Offbeat.” Chung used a range of musical implements from a guitar, to a trumpet on “Til We Go,” to a melodica and an endless amount of unique instruments for “Offbeat.” The fact that she had a looper made it sound like she had a whole band with her along with backup singers. The day of the concert, the music video for “Offbeat” was released. Along with the performers’ merchandise, copies of Chung’s newly released CD, The Art in My Heart, were signed and sold out in the lobby.
After a ten minute intermission, Kaba Modern came out to perform. Sadly, PK explained that the group was going their separate ways dance-wise and their B-Here performance would be “one of the last to perform for them.” Yuri Tag explained that nobody on the team knew a lot about Hepatitis B. They were taking advantage of this campaign by learning more and being able to reach out to college kids about Hepatitis B. She hopes the mass media will cause a revolution of knowledge. The crew played off of the audience’s enthusiasm and performed to upbeat music. At one point during the set, they performed choreography to the music from the Wii Menu.
After Kaba Modern, Paul Dateh went up to perform along with guitarist Ken Belcher. At the pre-show interview, Dateh told how he heard of B-Here after being approached by Plan C. As a violinist, one goal Dateh had was for the audience to, “see into who I am.” As a performer, he wants any aspiring artists to “do what you love, stay dedicated.” Before he began his set, he announced to the audience that this was his first time to perform at Rutgers. He later elaborated by saying it was his first US show since coming back from his Japan tour with Belcher. He kicked off the set with the song, “Good Life,” a feel good beat about being content about life. Following this, he performed another original called, “Your Own.” After the two originals he played a cover of Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire,” with a twist: he incorporated his violin, making it sound jazzy. He finished off his set with the song “Control.”
The last and final performer was Quest Crew. With their tricks, flips, and awesome choreography the crew did not disappoint. From the fangirls’ screams of love to the dance lovers claims of whoops and hollers, everyone was cheering with excitement as the guys performed. The boys performed their famous Toxic number from America’s Best Dance Crew much to everyone’s entertainment. After the first set, the Hok surprised the audience with the announcement of a second set because everyone was “hype enough!” The second set had what seemed like a “get to know the members” choreography where each member had their own freestyle solo throughout the 7 minute set. Throughout the show, a text contest was posted on the big screen on stage. Audience members answer the questions and if one was right, they had a chance to meet the Quest Crew after the show.
Look for the B-Here campaign to make stops at :
University of California San Diego
November 8, 2010
Art Exhibit: Price Center Ballrooms
10:00am to 5:00pm
Live Performance: Mandeville Center
7:00pm to 9:00pm
Doors open at 6:00pm
University of California Los Angeles
November 10, 2010
Art Exhibit: Ackerman Grand Ballroom
10:00am to 5:00pm
Live Performance: Royce Hall
7:00pm to 9:00pm
Doors open at 6:00pm
Quest Crew’s Performances at B-Here
