REVIEW: Daniel Caesar @ House of Blues 9/23
By Steven Gelman
Photos by Sophia Flissler
Daniel Caesar isn’t flashy — and he doesn’t need to be. Caesar walked onto the stage at the House of Blues on Monday night looking like any regular passerby, dressed in a black t-shirt, baggy blue jeans, and a red cap covering his formerly dread-locked head.
But you knew you were in the presence of a special talent once Caesar began to sing. Caesar’s vocals were like melting honey, soothing, therapeutic and on full display during his sold-out show in the heart of Fenway.
Caesar began his set center stage, with pairs of backup vocalists stood on either corner; behind him, two draping white cotton cloths cascaded from the ceiling down to the floor. Red and blue lights revealed the shadows of Caesar’s bandmates, projecting their silhouettes onto the fabric in a larger-than-life fashion. Light would fade in and out rhythmically, concealing the band during moments of silence and exposing them when playing.
While the stage design was intricate and visually stunning, it still maintained a degree of intimacy and solitude; Caesar was alone, accompanied only by a sea of light and color.
His set began with a series of songs off his most recent album Case Study 01. The follow-up to the Grammy award winning Freudian, Case Study 01 continues in Caesar’s examination of philosophical and spiritual themes, laced with smooth, sensual lyrics and breezy falsettos.
However, Case Study 01 deviates in some ways from the gospel-tinged R&B Caesar fans are familiar with. The sophomore album introduces elements of reggae in his song “Cyanide,” and experiments with synths in the Pharrell-produced “Frontal Lobe Muzik.” Songs like these demonstrate Caesar’s versatility as an artist and willingness to experiment with his sound.
After showcasing Case Study 01, Caesar then transitioned into a series of audience pleasing hits like “Get You,” “Blessed,” and “Best Part,” regularly pointing his microphone into the crowd, who were more than happy to give their best attempt at mimicking Caesar’s effortless tones.
The highlight of the night came during Caesar’s performance of the final song in his setlist, “Superposition.” Caesar was shrouded in white light like an ethereal figure, delivering a sonic sermon to the crowded House of Blues.
Caesar’s final song felt like a confessional, a declaration of his fears and insecurities, offering an admission of vulnerability not seen by many artists today. “I’m my own reason why I sing,” Caesar professed, while reaching the highest heights of his vocal range.
Beneath the surface of Caesar’s celestial performance was a man struggling with the responsibilities of newfound fame and the controversy that comes with it.
Caesar was pushed into the media spotlight before the release of his album in March of this year for defending social media personality YesJulz, after she fired back at black women who accused her of being a “culture vulture”.
The response from Caesar’s defense was largely negative, and in an age of “cancel culture,” this slip-up could’ve proved detrimental to Caesar’s career. Despite this, Case Study 01 peaked at 17 on the Billboard 200.
As Caesar confesses during “Superposition,”“This music s**t’s a piece of cake, the rest of my life’s in a state of chaos but I know I’ll be okay.” Although Caesar is still navigating the complexities of stardom, his music career is doing just fine. In fact, it’s only just begun.
