HOLLYWOOD – After a crazy opening performance by Lotus Flower and Thundercat, the lights lining the Hollywood Bowl went dark, and the audience went wild.
Around 9 p.m., the theater felt absolutely full, and excitement filled the air as all the lights shut off. A horizontal screen at the top of the stage showed Daniel Caesar and his crew standing in a red-lit room in a tight circle. He looked nervous, and when the circle broke off he began to walk as the camera followed him to the stage. Cheers and screams filled the air as Caesar approached and stood under four walls of sheer curtains in the center of the stage.
His band began playing what sounded like background music that slowly got louder. The music quickly paused, and the lights flickered off and on into just a spotlight on Caesar to match the beginning note of the first song on his newest album Never Enough, “Ocho Rios.” What a way to start! I always love it when the stage lighting matches the song playing.
My best friend and I attended Daniel Caesar’s North American leg of his iconic “Superpowers World Tour” at the Hollywood Bowl Sept. 23, 2023. Caesar is a world-renowned Canadian-born R&B artist and Grammy winner. His music has helped me during a multitude of situations, whether positive or negative, which is part of his appeal–the wide variety of emotions portrayed in his music.
Caesar stayed under the walls of the mid-stage sheer curtain for about five songs. At some point, I became worried that he’d stay hidden there for the whole show, but sure enough, the walls fell down, freeing the artist from his stationary position. He then began singing more songs from more famous albums of his. I especially loved when Caesar sat down at the piano to play one of my favorite songs, “Loose.”
He played a total of 20 beautifully sung songs. Something that I really admired about the concert was that Caesar would play every few songs himself with his guitar, making the concert feel authentic and like we could hear Caesar’s pure, angelic voice. When he acoustically played “SUPERPOSITION” while sitting on a stool with no light but a spotlight on him, fans like me felt a type of intimacy with him, which is always really special.
Of course, per concert norm, the crowd loudly cheered for an encore after he said the classic, “Thank you LA!” I was about ready to leave because our driver was waiting for us and it was a Thursday night, so I had school early the next day. As the lights on stage came on, we saw Caesar backstage with his guitar on a screen sitting towards the back of the stage. He told everyone to yell as loudly as they can. I’m not sure why he did this, but I must admit that it felt extremely therapeutic, considering I was having a difficult week. After the rush of loud screams died down, Caesar acoustically strummed his song “Streetcar” as his one-song encore.
Daniel Caesar is an artist who strives to create a connection with his audience, which is rare to find. His voice is genuinely angelic and hearing it echo through the Hollywood Bowl was an unforgettable feeling.
The Hollywood Bowl’s views from every angle of the theater somehow impress me every time I’m there. Though our seats for this concert were the farthest that I’ve been from the stage, we still had a clear view of the performers for the whole concert. The music projection through the entire theater is always perfect, striking every ear in the same way, no matter how close or far you are from the stage
Though the transportation aspect to and from this concert was long, I think Caesar is an amazing performer and I would most definitely recommend seeing him live if you are a fan.
