Daniel Caesar and Koffee at the Fillmore
By: Rachelle Barrett
The Fillmore live-music concert hall was heavily populated by young adults, apart from some older folks, on the evening of Sunday, September 8th. The Miami Beach venue presented a low-key concert for Daniel Caesar lovers all over. This event therefore generated a line that surrounded the building and led to the streets of Miami. With over two thousand seats occupied by soft soul and smooth urban-RnB enthusiasts, it’s safe to say the night was a huge success for team “Chef BoyarCease “. The eventful evening was nothing short of the night that was promised, which was a memorable one; fans who paid $40 - $100 on tickets can indubitably say that that night was well worth the means.
Caribbean music has been gradually making a name for itself in America since the early 2000s, especially in an area as culturally diverse as South Florida. Koffee, a young singer from Jamaica, opened the show at the Fillmore with a distributive-type agenda. The well-known ‘jammin’ tunes that is Reggae music is assuredly greatly popular around the world. However, if you ask a non-Caribbean individual to name three Reggae singers, they would most likely begin by confidently listing Bob Marley as their first pick, followed by Sean Paul, (who isn’t a reggae artist but a dancehall artist). Koffee is looking to spread the broad genre better known as Reggae music. The admiration for her country matches that of her country’s music, and to share such a beautiful gift with the rest of the world is Koffee’s idea of a Zion. Show-goers’ favorites such as ‘Rapture’ and ‘Toast’ were amongst the songs sung by Koffee and her two backup singers, who were both styling a natural curly afro, signifying the laissez-faire Rastafarian lifestyle.
Shortly after Koffee’s performance came a thirty minute intermission. Guests filled the theater exits to get some air, food, and to talk about the show that was yet to come. The food at the concession stand, in the opinion of a broke and struggling college student, was a tad expensive, but these factors don’t amount to much in the case of getting to watch Daniel Caesar live. Despite the food, Daniel’s chocolate voice vanquishes all that is bad within a fifty-yard radius.
The lights shut off and the crowd rang in cheer, music filled the theater; the show began. Daniel walked out solo, sporting nothing too flashy, just a grey tee-shirt, basketball shorts, and basic white sneakers. Some may say he was underdressed for such an occasion, but others would agree that his demeanor and appearance is that of an individual who doesn’t care for the riches within his fame, but simply about his music the enjoyment of it. Simplistic and chill.
I’m grateful for the mic and surround system that amplified his voice throughout the theater, because the thousands of cheers that echoed would’ve definitely masked his production. People screamed “I love you!”, “f**k it up Daniel!”, “yes!”, and “I feel like crying”. And those shouts were merited; Daniel Caesar sounds incredible live. The crowd sang along to his music, both off-tune yet accurately in melody. Someone even called their friend on Facetime to enjoy the show from a far.
It is safe to say the night was a complete success. Daniel sang his all-time favorite songs including ‘Get You’ featuring Kali Uchis, and ‘Best Part’ featuring H.E.R., and everyone was then forced to succumb to the melodic tunes. Hands were slowly waving in the air, uncaringly. Phone flashlights shone. and the moment was absolutely breathtaking. I saw tears fall from a person’s face. I felt complete peace. Each individual was perfectly living in their moment.
The show ended, Daniel bid his backup vocalists farewell as he introduced them and thanked them. Then he stated his name and left the stage, leaving the stage gracefully as he broke the hearts of thousands yearning for just one more song. As he left the stage, the crowd repeatedly chanted “Daniel, Daniel!” and “Encore, Encore!”. Thinking the show was over for the night, searching for my car keys and preparing to walk to my car, Daniel ran back onto the stage to perform an encore! The chanting actually persuaded Daniel to perform again. The feeling of an artist playing an extra song in the demands of regular people is similar to when a kid in a car motions his arm downward as to mimic a parallel truck driver into honking his horn. Exciting. The whole crowd was ecstatic! Caesar casually said “I kinda vibe, let’s do another one.” into the microphone as he played his guitar and poured his heart into the bonus song. I got lightheaded just from all the screaming I did. As wonderful as this may sound Daniel delivered more by singing more songs. His encore continued for another 20 minutes.
