Northwell at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY — July 23, 2025

Katelyn Tarver made a big-time debut at New York’s Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, opening for Big Time Rush on their “In Real Life” Worldwide Tour. Having co-starred with the band on the hit Nickelodeon TV series, it felt perfectly fitting for Tarver to open the concert as a singer and songwriter in her own right—taking the stage right after Stephen Kramer Glickman, who played the band’s producer on the show. The “In Real Life Tour” marks a grand reunion a full decade in the making.

For each stop on tour, Tarver sports a white cropped shirt with iron-on text featuring a pun on the venue’s name or town; for this show, it read “Jo’s Beach,” a clever nod to her character on the series. Few artists can make an amphitheater feel so intimate, especially on an arena-sized tour debut, but Tarver did just that. She opened her set with the vulnerable lyrics and driving beats of “Hurt Like That” from her debut album Subject to Change. She kept the momentum going with the sultry, self-aware “Nicer,” a track that showcases her knack for pairing hyper-reflective lyrics with breezy pop melodies.

The crowd responded with warmth and energy as she moved into “Cinematic,” complete with a special lyric change just for the occasion: “I wanna go to New York / Get drunk with you out at Jones Beach!”Then “Japanese Cafe” followed, pulling the audience deeper into Tarver’s introspective world. Its soft instrumentation and lyrical reflections on identity and longevity in the industry felt especially poignant in the setting of her return to the stage. She also performed “You Don’t Know,” the powerful ballad that first captivated listeners almost a decade ago—reminding the crowd of the raw honesty and emotional depth that’s long been a hallmark of her songwriting.

Tarver closed the set with her anthemic new single, “#1,” released just two weeks ago. Confident and full of energy, it signaled the official launch of a new musical era—both sonically and thematically. Her set wasn’t just a nostalgic reunion—it was a reintroduction. With heartfelt lyrics, a polished performance, and magnetic stage presence, Tarver is stepping boldly into a new chapter rooted in risk-taking, reinvention, and fearless self-expression. If this performance is any indication, she’s not just revisiting the past on this nostalgia tour—she’s rewriting the future.

Words & Photography: Katherine Hui