{"id":5534,"date":"2019-09-30T10:10:17","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T15:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=5534"},"modified":"2019-12-17T20:09:07","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T01:09:07","slug":"review-daniel-caesar-house-of-blues-9-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2019\/09\/30\/review-daniel-caesar-house-of-blues-9-23\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Daniel Caesar @ House of Blues 9\/23"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Steven Gelman<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Photos by Sophia Flissler<\/em><\/p>\n

Daniel Caesar isn\u2019t flashy \u2014 and he doesn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

But you knew you were in the presence of a special talent once Caesar began to sing. Caesar\u2019s vocals were like melting honey, soothing, therapeutic and on full display during his sold-out show in the heart of Fenway.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His set began with a series of songs off his most recent album <\/span>Case Study 01. <\/span><\/i>The follow-up to the Grammy award winning<\/span> Freudian<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Case Study 01 <\/span><\/i>continues in Caesar\u2019s examination of philosophical and spiritual themes, laced with smooth, sensual lyrics and breezy falsettos.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, <\/span>Case Study 01 <\/span><\/i>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 \u201cCyanide,\u201d and experiments with synths in the Pharrell-produced \u201cFrontal Lobe Muzik.\u201d Songs like these demonstrate Caesar\u2019s versatility as an artist and willingness to experiment with his sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

After showcasing <\/span>Case Study 01, <\/span><\/i>Caesar then transitioned into a series of audience pleasing hits like \u201cGet You,\u201d \u201cBlessed,\u201d and \u201cBest Part,\u201d regularly pointing his microphone into the crowd, who were more than happy to give their best attempt at mimicking Caesar\u2019s effortless tones.<\/span><\/p>\n

The highlight of the night came during Caesar\u2019s performance of the final song in his setlist, \u201cSuperposition.\u201d Caesar was shrouded in white light like an ethereal figure, delivering a sonic sermon to the crowded House of Blues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caesar\u2019s final song felt like a confessional, a declaration of his fears and insecurities, offering an admission of vulnerability not seen by many artists today. \u201cI\u2019m my own reason why I sing,\u201d Caesar professed, while reaching the highest heights of his vocal range.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beneath the surface of Caesar\u2019s celestial performance was a man struggling with the responsibilities of newfound fame and the controversy that comes with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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 \u201cculture vulture\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The response from Caesar\u2019s defense was largely negative, and in an age of \u201ccancel culture,\u201d this slip-up could\u2019ve proved detrimental to Caesar\u2019s career. Despite this, <\/span>Case Study 01 <\/span><\/i>peaked at 17 on the Billboard 200.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Caesar confesses during \u201cSuperposition,\u201d\u201cThis music s**t\u2019s a piece of cake, the rest of my life\u2019s in a state of chaos but I know I\u2019ll be okay.\u201d Although Caesar is still navigating the complexities of stardom, his music career is doing just fine. In fact, it\u2019s only just begun.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Daniel Caesar by Sophia Flissler<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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