[Event] DPR LIVE & Dream Perfect Regime put on show during ‘CTYL Tour’ for sold out LA crowd

When I heard that Dream Perfect Regime was coming to LA, I damn near threw a shoe out of excitement. After seeing DPR LIVE’s brief set at SXSW this year, I decided DPR was the crew to watch this year, and the growth has been real.

At SXSW, DPR LIVE was shy, sweet and almost innocent. He hid behind a hat pulled low over his eyes for more than half of his set, only warming up toward the end, losing the hat and flashing that enticing smile of his to a parched audience. This time, we got to see a completely different man. He owned the mic, stomped the stage, and knocked me flat on my ass (literally!) with his wild stage persona.

The CTYL Tour sold out two-thirds of its shows in the US alone. LA sold out so damned fast, they moved the show from a small club in Hollywood to the Novo at LA Live in Downtown LA, which then also proceeded to sell out. The venue was packed wall to wall with dehydrated fans, industry people, and yours truly, not knowing what to expect from Dabin (DPR LIVE) and his wild crew of artists.

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Okay, let’s get it out of the way because I know you’re gonna ask. We were only allowed to shoot the first three songs (understandably), and yo boy Christian Yu hid the entire first part of the show. He peeked his head out from behind the curtain and stepped out on stage equipped with a camera strapped to a stabilizer rig as he filmed the concert. I cannot wait to see the highlight reel because this show was pure pandemonium. There’s fancams and videos but no pro shots of the elusive DPR Ian. I was so mad I could spit. Doesn’t matter tho. I assume he did it out of respect for DPR LIVE as to not detract from the man’s stage presence and frankly I can’t help but respect him more for it. So let’s dive right in!

Why didn’t anyone tell me the incomparable DJ DaQ was working with DPR? The veteran DJ spun a mind-blowing set to an already hyped audience who danced, sang, and partied merrily even before DPR LIVE was on stage.

Eventually, DPR LIVE stepped out on stage all pomp and swagger. Shy Dabin from SXSW was nowhere to be found as this man stood in a fresh Cali tan, “thank you lord”-level holy ripped jeans, and a short sleeved baby yellow button down, top few buttons open to the world. His freshly bleached hair long and misbehaving, falling into his eyes with every move he made. He ran around the stage, hopping up and down as he started “Know Me“.

There was no need to hype the crowd. They were already at critical mass levels due to DJ DaQ, and having a press pit that was just me, a few other lucky press photographers, and DPR staff shooters, I took advantage of every angle I could. During “Cheese & Wine“, DPR LIVE cracked open a cold bottle of water, poured the top ounce or so over the side of the stage, and as I was stepped back into said puddle, flung it into the audience in a dramatic arc. My back foot continued sliding back as I kept shooting, ending up on the floor of the press pit in the splits, camera aimed up, collecting my shots. The front row literally went “OHHHHH” as I bounced and kept going.

Without even blinking we all rolled into “Laputa” like champs!

Next he reached out and performed “God Bless“, and then “Thirst“, which was so damned appropriate for the audience in house. “RHRN” had DPR cameras everywhere filming as DPR LIVE danced and jumped as the crowd followed along. “Playlist” brought DPR Ian (Christian) back out on stage, and he busted those infamous dance moves straight out of the video, making every single person with a voice scream themselves into a lung collapse. I was kindly ushered into the pit at this point, so I was screaming along with them! Seeing Ian dance with DPR LIVE just made me smile so hard I thought my face would crack!

And then we were introduced to DPR LIVE’s cousin. Jimmy Cline came out on stage and straight up stole the show! The man seriously chucked a Pokeball into the audience and danced like a viral god. Everyone fell in love! He was hilarious and cute and just wild, and the Diplo Dance killed me! I died. Right then and there. I am writing this review from beyond the grave. Send snacks.

They performed “PLEASE” together, DPR LIVE then jumped into “Your Name?“, and finally came my personal anthem (and namesake) “Jasmine“. After all that, he stopped performing and just started talking.

DPR LIVE blurted a heartfelt speech about how amazing it was that he was performing in LA. He talked about his roots, lack of support, and how finding friends who shared his dream pushed him to keep going. He talked about his SoundCloud days and how he dedicated songs to himself to challenge himself, and how finding support was key. And now … well it’s “fuck the haters” cause he was performing a sold out show in LA. His humbleness and his pure elation just poured out past the stage and into the crowd, reminding fans that their attraction to him was about his down-to-earth realness more than anything else. He actually talked to the audience as well, asking what their favorite songs were, how they found him, and from what album did they become fans. He got so real it was like a fanmeeting experience, intimate and warm.

DPR LIVE then performed “Is You Down“, “Text Me“, and of course … “Martini Blue“, which it turns out is his favorite. Dream Perfect Regime thanked everyone and stepped off stage. Fans chanted, “DPR WE GANG GANG!!!” They screamed and cheered until he stepped back out on stage. DRP LIVE then performed “To Myself“, and everyone sang along as the entire DPR crew showed up on stage and got turnt for the encore finale. Again they thanked the fans for giving them the chance to perform for them in the City Of Angels and that the CTYL Tour was a massive dream come true. And with that, the show was over.

We stepped out of the NOVO onto the streets of LA and into pouring rain, lights flickering everywhere. Talk about ending the drought!

As for DPR, they’ll undoubtedly be back. If and when they do return, you need to catch them, because it’s an amazing experience!

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Thank you to Dream Perfect Regime and Kohai for allowing Asian Junkie to participate in this event! It was an honor to experience it with you!

About Yaaaaaas

I'm not drunk enough for this.