Fairgoers young and old were in for a treat Friday night at the Kern County Fair as R&B singer Ray J performed at the Budweiser Pavilion.
This free show brought fans to their feet as the younger brother of pop star and Cover Girl model Brandy attempted to carve out a niche into the music industry all by himself.
The natural features of the two siblings are similar. Both are petite in size, but both know how to put on a slammin’ show. There was never a dull moment.
Ray J took the stage to the resounding screams of his fans and immediately brought the crowd into a frenzy when he began the show with his single “Whatcha’ Doin’ Tonight.” He was sporting a New York Giants football jersey with the number 27 (the number of running back Ron Dayne), and was draped with enough platinum and diamond jewelry to make Puff Daddy jealous. He really shined in the spotlight.
Before he started singing his next song, “Why, Why, Why,” he took a little time to give a shout-out to the people of New York City.
“Let’s hope and pray that all those people in New York get it together real soon,” he said.
Ray J was joined on stage by seven to nine different dancers, backup singers and security. Any time “J” even attempted to leave the stage to get a little closer to his grabbing fans, a big, burly guy in a black leather jacket would rush across the stage, cutting through the rest of the performers who were oblivious to his presence and escort him out of the crowd. Obviously, he already knew about Ray J’s stage exiting habits.
Another cool twist to this superb show was audience participation. A few minutes before the show started, a gentleman who was in charge of getting the crowd hyped up asked the crowd, “Who has some talent they want to share with Ray J when he comes on stage?” He picked a pair of cute girls, who were no older than 7 or 8, a young lady who was a freshman in high school and a woman who had just graduated.
During the intermission after performing about three songs, each fan had a chance to join Ray J on stage and show off their singing skills. The two girls were a little nervous when he stepped back and told them to “do y’all thang.” But once they started singing Little Bow Wow’s song, “Where My Dogs At,” they quickly got use to the bright spotlight. The crowd went crazy.
Ray J ended the show with his latest single, “Wait A Minute,” much to the delight of his hysterical fans. Throughout the show, there were T-shirts and souvenirs hurled into the bleachers. People sitting in the chairs directly in front the stage went nuts when “J” took off his New York Giants jersey and handed it to a lucky young woman, who no doubt will never wash it. He was even gentleman enough to stick around and sign autographs for anyone who wanted one. This was nice touch to an already superior show’s performance. Ray J and his crew put on show that was off the hook!