Miguel
14th July 2018
Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Kate Taylor. Photography by Leah Victoria.
A bitterly cold winter’s eve in Auckland hosted a silky hot performance by Miguel, who was flawlessly slaying at Logan Campbell, for a tight and friendly night of classics and new faves. Warmed heartily by DJ Sirvere’s expert set, his cuts to get the people moving had the crowd primed.
Awash with red light the stage was set for an evening of high suggestibility; and as Miguel’s band members meandered on stage and took their place I’ve got to admit I was sort of startled into action like “Ohh it’s going to be a full band show?!” I thought I was just going to hear Miguel on stage saying some outrageously sexy phrases and cheeky quips but here I was, about to be treated to a slab of R&B, Hip Hop, Funk, Pop and Rock with a live band, all shining out of and by the direction of, one being on his War & Leisure Tour.
Then swiftly, swanging out on stage, was the human perfection that is Miguel. Wearing impossibly huge sunglasses and a gigantic fluffy jacket, Miguel’s aesthetic was dripping 70s luxe and I was getting major Prince or Jagger vibes from his every gesture; each of which drew a scream so loud from the crowd that, you know when you’re looking at an audio level read out and it clips out at the highest possible point – that’s what my eardrums were doing. Cool and smooth, Miguel casually juts out a hip as he grips the mic and slips his free hand into his pocket, just you know, standing there belting out a completely effortless falsetto, no biggie. Then it’s all doing the splits, stomping it out with the tasseled mic stand trailing out behind him or body rolling from one side of the stage to the other, to repeated screams from the rapturous crowd. Thank goodness there’s water coolers and cups available at Logan Campbell Centre because let me tell you, the thirst was real that day my friends. So much so that towards the end of the set Miguel was a bit toasty and fluttered his shirt; to cries of “Take it Off! Take it Off” from the crowd. “I’m not sure if you said “Take it Off or Take it Out?” Flirted Miguel. I think the crowd would have accepted either quite happily.
Miguel’s set was varied and substantial, How Many Drinks was a slow jammed out guitar laced version that really allowed Miguel to lean into the rock star moment as it got a bit more grungey as the band broke it down. Rocking it into more sublime dance moves Miguel delivered Do You which bubbled the sold-out crowd into bursts of joy; as Miguel then skanked it out and worked Musical Youth’s Pass the Dutchie into the mix. Simple Things was breathtaking and was demonstration of Miguel’s incredible range and enviable ability to just nail it perfectly; I loved this version of Simple Things, it was deliciously languid, movingly sensual. Best of all it erupted into this sing-a-long of EAT SLEEP SMOKE FUCK which Miguel led us in as the band worked it into this funk burn out that drew us all together in our shared quest for the things most simple in life. Now was a heartfelt drop on how Miguel and his country people feel about their general err, situation over there and as Miguel shared his true embarrassment for the realities in his neighbourhood; this candor from Miguel was really across the board for the evening, he shared stories about his writing process, relationships, sex, family, heritage. It really was a special evening with a premium artist in the new breed of R&B shared by the likes of Frank Ocean and The Weeknd, who are in their feelings and more importantly, authentically share them with their audiences as well.
But remember, there’s always room to party. During Wave, Miguel was thrown a cleavage enhancer, or when I lived in Australia we called them a “chicken filet’, dangling it Miguel asked the crowd, “is this the deal where I get the other one at the end of the show?” Moving into an uproarious cut of Sky Walker; we had a brief moment to catch our breath and then Miguel was back for a second round. Delivering the clear crowd fave..um…Pussy is Mine, I think you can imagine how the general vibe of the evening was going from there. Big sexy, very air thrusts, much crowd thirst.
Exciting and vibrant, Miguel presented a night of delicious, sexy tunes and real, undeniable genius in the way he can bend a note. There’s no doubt in my mind that Miguel and band will return to New Zealand sooner rather than later; and next time I’m picking it’ll be at Spark, as Miguel’s career continues to swell.
Were you there at the Logan Campbell Centre for this spectacular hip hop and RnB show? Or have you seen Miguel perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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