AJ Rafael Brings Back The Memories On Tour

Singer-songwriter, AJ Rafael makes his comeback to the music scene with an unforgettable tour. AJ Rafael took over the House of Blues venue in San Diego, California on September 29th, 2023! The artist visited multiple cities on The TAKE ME BACK Tour and even sold out most of his stops. San Diego sold out their first night on the 28th, so AJ Rafael added a second night which was almost sold out as well.

AJ Rafael, who had his start on YouTube years ago, had a table full of his own exclusive merchandise. Various shirts and sweaters were being sold on site. Next to the merchandise booth was a Be A Match booth that is near and dear to AJ Rafael’s heart as he became a match not long ago. He talks about it during his set and hoped his audience would also consider being a match.

Opening For AJ Rafael: Nieman

LA-based, singer-songwriter, Nieman opened for The TAKE ME BACK Tour and joined him for every stop. With millions of streams under his name, he has been creating amazing music for his fans. He is known for tracks like, “Brutally Honest,” “Why Do I Still?” and “100” to name a few.

Nieman came to the stage to perform several of his songs, as well as covers. He was welcomed to the stage with a crowd full of cheers and excitement. The artist performed his track, “Automatic,” as well as his newest single,”Confidential”. The new song was released just a few days before his tour so he was excited to perform it for the audience. He went to the keyboard that was setup in the middle of the stage and performed an RnB throwback medley. Everyone in the venue was singing along and he brought the energy up for whats to come.

He performed a bit of his song “Tempo” for a special fan in the audience who was cheering him on since the very beginning. Nieman ended his set with the track “100” and many sang along to it. As he left the stage, it was clear he should probably be planning his own tour in the near future!

AJ Rafael Takes The Stage

The old televisions in the back were set up to show some of AJ’s old music videos, videos and even a countdown that had everyone joining along.

The man of the night, AJ Rafael, came to the stage and the cheers were extremely loud with the excitement from the audience. Fans traveled from all over to catch him in concert, especially because most of the shows were sold out. We overheard one fan say they traveled from Anaheim to attend the show since LA was sold out. He began the night with “Starlit Nights”.

He was joined by his band – Andrew Rhim on the guitar, Chad Manalo on the Bass, and Matthew Champagne on the drums. It is important to note that Andrew has been performing alongside the artist for many years. AJ Rafael performed many of his popular tracks, including “My Soldier,” “Without You,” as well as, “Jetsetter”. With several outfit changes, there was never a dull moment during the concert.

Red Roses

After his first outfit change, he returns to the stage, picks up a red rose from the floor and holds it up. The rose was revealed to have been from a fan. AJ Rafael performs “Red Roses” which is from his debut album with the same name.

The album marked an important moment in AJ Rafael’s music career about 12 years ago. Another important chapter in his life is marrying his very own Disney Princess, Alyssa Rafael. She was by his side the entire tour and performed with him on stage at every stop. Alyssa’s voice is extremely beautiful as it radiates across the venue during “Forever,” the couples first song (instead of first dance) at their wedding.

Alyssa also performed a Disney Medley alongside AJ Rafael that included Aladdin, Mulan and more. She revealed that the two met at Disneyland so this was a great addition to the show. The singer ended her set by singing “Officially Missing You” and the crowd sang along. It was truly a karaoke night with everyone singing along.

Friends Join The Stage

Throughout the tour, friends join AJ Rafael on the stage – from Simu, to Andrew Garcia, and Cathy Nguyen. On the first night of San Diego, Jesse Barrea joined him on stage to perform their famous track, “She Was Mine”. The next night though, Jesse couldn’t make it so we were graced with appearances by Mark Mejia and Albert Posis.

AJ Rafael tells the story of this very video (see here) and how he got to know them almost 14 years ago. The best part is, the two only grew up to be even greater artists and vocalists.

Ending The Night

Before ending the night, he had one more outfit change and returned to the stage to sign and giveaway a ukulele. He has given one away at every stop to one lucky fan in attendance.

To end the night, everyone joined AJ Rafael on stage once more, from Nieman, his complete band, Mark, Albert, and Alyssa. As well as those who were backstage supporting. They ended the night with “We Could Happen” which had the entire venue singing along! It was truly a night of making new memories.