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A choir sings with angelic voices as R&B, neo-soul and alternative R&B artist Daniel Caesar prepares to take the stage. That’s how a warm, soulful summer night begins at the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn. That’s when a mellow, evangelical R&B worship service starts. With a glow.
They came by the thousands and the arena is packed. Crowded with a multicultural assortment of fans who know the words to his songs and appreciate his brand of bliss. Before he enters the stage, 18 singers in white robes assemble, as if they’d just come from Thursday night choir practice, to do this singing gig and raise their voices. Beautiful harmonies, animated bodies moving and swaying. Establishing a spiritual presence. Something like church. Holy like gospel. Rooted in rhythm and blues but dispensed in the most ethereal way. Romantic and heavenly at the same time.
The group chants the chorus of the song “Rain Down,” the tune Caesar sings with the British musician Sampha. They plead, “Lord let your blessings rain down. Lord let your blessings rain down, on me.” Right from the beginning of the evening, you know this is not going to be your traditional soul-music concert. Caesar has a feel that is a delicate blend of heart, soul, mood, love and ethereal moments. Nothing aggressive or crass, like in the hip-hop or rap vein. He’s a quiet refuge for young adults trying to connect with their spiritual side. Not through religion but through popular music. And he obliges, gracefully and with pleasure.
The sparse stage is set up with instruments on the left side and the choir on the right. Neither face the audience, instead they face each other. A large screen on the back wall is filled with live images from the stage as an obtrusive cameraman with a rig walks around taking close-up shots of the performers. He relays what his lens captures to the screen for all to see, from those in the standing-room-only pit, to the main floor and balconies. The same big images, giving the vast, cavernous hall a certain intimacy. As does the headliner.
Caesar, healing from a fractured foot, enters on crutches, wearing an orthopedic boot. He hobbles to the mic to sing or sits at keyboards facing the choir and not the audience. And sometimes he stands as best he can with a guitar strapped over his shoulder. It’s as if nothing is going to stop him from delivering his set list, and certainly not an injury. His manner is closer to that of a determined minister ready to give a love sermon than a pop star performing. Quite the achievement for a humble, Toronto-born singer of Jamaican heritage.
His greatest hits are the soundtrack of young people’s lives these days, whether they feature Caesar solo or with musician pals like H.E.R. Their hit “Best Part,” which was a Grammy-winning acoustic R&B duet, helped the singer become a worldwide sensation. The soft melody. The soothing words: “You’re the coffee that I need in the morning. You’re my sunshine in the rain when it’s pouring… If life is a movie, then you’re the best part.”
And so, the cascade of poetic songs begins and doesn’t end until the house lights come up. Hits like the forceful love song “Superpowers,” tender ballad “Always” and heartfelt “Get You” are performed throughout the evening. The latter song is particularly expressive: “Through drought and famine, natural disasters my baby has been around for me … Kingdoms have fallen, angels be callin’ none of that could ever make me leave.” No wonder lovers are holding hands and friends are singing lyrics together.
Showing his knowledge of the past and respect for his father, Caesar explains the reason for him covering the classic Jamaican hit “Many Rivers to Cross.” “My dad preferred Jimmy Cliff to Bob Marley.” That’s a controversial thing to say to most of the world who only think Marley is the voice of Jamaica. But if you’re from Jamaica, as Caesar’s dad is, you know that Cliff is as iconic.
And with that, the choir hums the tune and Caesar starts the song: “Many rivers to cross, but I can’t seem to find my way over. Wandering I am lost. As I travel along the white cliffs of Dover.” The 57-year-old classic allows the 31-year-old Grammy-winner to deliver his strongest vocal performance of the evening. Seated at the keyboards, resting his broken foot, his voice soars to the rafters like Superman. Strong enough to carry all listeners to an emotional climax.
The size of the venue works in the concert’s favor. Dark and dotted with lights from cellphones, it feels like you’re watching it all in a big cave, or a darkened amphitheater. Smiling faces all around look wistful and hopeful. That’s the calming energy that’s radiating from Caesar and his ensemble inside. Hard to believe the world outside is so chaotic. In here, the crowd responds to the warmth, personal anecdotes, sense of humor and musicianship
Daniel Caesar is on his worldwide “Son of Spergy Tour,” which is named after his hit 2025 album. It’s a 30-stop, Asian and North American sojourn and well worth the price of admission. So many young people are going to see him, and there’s a good reason. He’s taking them on a spiritual, R&B journey that’s as loving and positive as it is uplifting, communal and deeply personal.
Let the choir sing amen. Amen!
Photos by Dwight Brown
Visit NNPA News Wire entertainment critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.