This could have been called ‘The Abs Show’ because Jason Derulo’s stomach muscles received as much attention and adulation as his singing.
Opening with 'In My Head', he bounded onto the stage in a gold and red jacket, the screaming reached fever pitch which stayed at this level for the duration of his set. Changing jackets at regular intervals, his fashion strategy appeared to be: put clothes on, take clothes off, change into alternate outfit, take clothes off etc etc.
Photo: Joyce RodeThere were no complaints from the crowd; in fact the shirtless parts of his set seemed to be the most enjoyed. Did I mention he has many, many muscles and that he liked to show them off?
The staging was simple but effective (largely because most people were mesmerised by his body and couldn't care less what else was happening on stage), but the multi-level metal platforms were slick and raw, adding an element of street to the stage. His voice is truly great – and his falsetto is unbelievable. Plus he nails the notes while dancing his (muscled) arse off.
Let's talk about his back-up dancers. Amazing. Not even exaggerating. There were five male dancers and two females, all with impressive physiques but even better moves. There were many dance breaks to give his dance team a chance to show off, and let's just say that twerking is still definitely in vogue.
Photo: Joyce RodeSometimes an artist can be overshadowed by their back-up dancers. Not so for Derulo – he can match any of the peeps in his show easily. Adding DJ Papo to the on stage team, the energy was kept high and his multi-coloured mohawk was an blinding addition to the colour palette.
Between the dance-offs and musical numbers, JD took some time out to talk to the crowd and get real with everyone. Discussing the reasons behind the cancellation of his last Australian tour, Derulo spoke about his broken neck and his fears for his performing future.
To prove he's well past that, there was a real work out session on stage with Derulo and his dancers (think push ups, jumps, chin ups etc) and they called up girls from the audience to lie on their backs while they did push ups.
Photo: Joyce RodeHeading into the slower section of the show, Derulo pointed out the female vocals were his partner in real life Jordin Sparks; he also incorporated samples from Beyonce, Kanye West, Toto and Lorde. Other songs included earlier hit 'Ridin' Solo', 'Blurred Lines', 'Stupid Love', 'The Other Side', 'It Girl' and 'With The Lights On'.
And he finished with 'Talk Dirty' before an overwhelming chant for an encore had him back out on stage for 'Wiggle' and 'Trumpets'. High energy, dance-heavy, feel-good show that instilled a very strong desire to get to a hip hop dance class and change hairstyles asap.
