Case Study: 01, the follow-up to Daniel Caesar’s critically acclaimed Freudian album, was released earlier this year to delight of fans wanting more from the Canadian-born crooner. It was no surprise then that his show at ACL Live’s Moody Theatre had sold out, included the late batch of tickets that had been released.
Opening for Daniel Caesar was Koffee, a 19 yr-old reggae singer/rapper from Spanish Town, Jamaica. She’s an upcoming talent and proved to be a great lead-in to the headlining Caesar. Joined by a single acoustic guitar player, Koffee easily kept the crowd engaged and generated a level of energy that would carry on through the night. Her razor sharp vocals played nicely with the sting accompaniment, giving a unique spin to her studio produced tracks. Koffee’s personality also shined through, as she would often talk and joke with the crowd in between songs. By the end of her set, everyone had been worked nicely up for the main event.
The stage production for Daniel Caesar was simple. The band performed behind large white pieces of material draped in front of them. With only a silhouette of the band behind him and a set of background vocalists to either side, the focus was clearly on the music and less on theatrics. Images were projected onto the white backdrops a few times throughout the show, providing a small visual punch. The best implementation of this was during Caesar’s performance of “Get You” (more on that later), as images of collaborator, Kali Uchis, were shown on the backdrops throughout the song.
Caesar looked in his element on stage, displaying the comfort level of someone who loves to perform. Kicking things off was “Cyanide” a melodic love track where Caesar got to flex his falsetto. Next up was “Love Again” and then “Restore The Felling,” where featured artist, Sean Leon, joined Caesar onstage. The show took on an acoustic vibe towards the middle; which paired perfectly with the intimacy of the Moody Theatre. With guitar in hand, Caesar performed moving renditions of “Superposition” and “Too Deep To Turn Back.” Couples danced a little closer and the singles sang with all the feels.
The energy picked back up with “Get You.” For the chorus, Caesar would prompt the crowd to sing along. Hearing the 2,500+ in attendance singing ‘ooooOOOHH. Who would’ve thought I’d get you,’ was pretty magical. There’s something freeing about singing in a crowd, as there’s no focus on your own skill. Whether you can hold a note or not, it is all washed up in the collective voice, which sounded great with the venue’s acoustics. In fact, the crowd participation was great throughout, and was highlighted by Caesar inviting the crowd to sing all of H.E.R.’s lyrics during “Best Part.”
Not wanting the night to end, Caesar was immediately showered with chants of ‘Encore!’ once he left the stage. He did not disappoint, taking the stage one last time to extend and already excellent night.
