Jason Derulo
Support: Conor Maynard
O2 Academy, Glasgow, 31/3/14
US R&B sensation Jason Derulo finally made it to a Glasgow stage last night at the O2 Academy. The singer was supposed to play the SECC two years ago as part of his Future History world tour but was forced to cancel the entire jaunt after he broke his neck in rehearsals. After 24 months of recovery, Derulo is back to his best and made sure to make up for lost time.
Support came in the form of Conor Maynard who had the crowd going crazy when he opened with Animal. Representing Scotland with his tartan shirt, Maynard was open and friendly, chatting to the audience in between his tracks. It was his final night on Derulo’s Tattoos tour and it was clear he wanted to go out with a bang. As well as hits from his debut album Contrast including Take Off and Turn Around, Maynard also did a few covers. He put his spin on Clean Bandit’s number one hit Rather Be and performed an amazing rendition of Craig David’s Fill Me In. He then closed with his most recent single R U Crazy, leaving the crowd revved up for Derulo to take to the stage.
Jason opened with his 2010 hit In My Head and as soon as the lights went on we could see the elaborate stage production that had been set up. There were huge metal boxes of different sizes lined up together that played visuals on them, and a set up for Derulo’s DJ. It was obvious that a lot of effort had been put into making an impressive production, but it felt like the Academy was maybe too small for it. As the show had completely sold out, Jason easily could have filled another, bigger venue.
Next was Whatcha Say, Jason’s debut single. It was great to hear his old stuff, especially with a track that really shows off his vocals. He then went on to sing tracks from his most recent album Tattoos. Songs like Marry Me and Stupid Love had his younger fans singing along to every word. He also covered his other classics from before his accident like Breathing, Don’t Wanna Go Home and Fight For You. It was nice to have a mix of old and new especially as many songs that would have been performed on the cancelled tour could have been cut from the setlist to make room for the new album. He also did a Conor Maynard and covered Lorde’s Royals. He remixed the words and it was so good, it easily could be recorded and put out as a single.
Although Jason’s vocals were on point throughout his set, it was the dancing that was the real highlight. Jason and his six back-up dancers moved tirelessly to every song and some of the moves were genuinely jaw-dropping. There was a couple of times when Jason would leave the stage and the dancers would individually show off some their best moves. It was nice that he let them have their own to time shine, especially as they were what made the show.
Jason closed the show with his huge summer anthem ‘Talk Dirty’, which had absolutely everyone on their feet. He left the stage for a bit before coming back on for the encore where he performed his upcoming duet with Snoop Dogg, Wiggle. Although it was just a sneak-peek, it sounded like it could be another smash for the all-singing, all-dancing Mr Derulo.
The whole night was full of energy and really showcased how many huge hits Jason has. Hopefully next time he comes to Glasgow it will be in a bigger venue which will really allow him to put on the huge show he deserves.
[rating=4]
