© RAMON VAN FLYMEN / ANP MAG / ANP via AFP
Never before has the Rockhal sounded so in tune than at the musical wunderkind's Djesse World Tour stop in Luxembourg on Sunday.
A religious experience? A psychedelic trip through all of musical harmony? Or Sunday choir practice? Jacob Collier's shows have been called many things. It's a rollercoaster of rhythms, moods, and facets, a masterclass in music blurring the lines between audience and artist through beautiful crowd work.
From the moment Collier took the stage at Rockhal's Box on 1 December, his boundless energy electrified the room. Clad in his signature vibrant attire, (including his sold-out Crocs that this editor really wants), he launched into '100,000 Voices,' the opening track on his latest album, Djesse Vol 4., featuring real live recordings of audiences singing on his last tour. Luxembourg is in there somewhere too, he assures.
Collier's fingers quickly dart across the fret boards of his five-string guitar or bass within the first songs, 'WELLL,' 'She Put Sunshine',and 'Little Blue'. And they dart just as quickly between piano, the levels of the stage, and conducting the crowd of Luxembourg. His genre-defying sound is on full display, weaving jazz, funk, soul, and classical influences into every note. "I love being back in Luxembourg," says Collier. "But I have to be honest, it's very cold. Is it always like this?" Not like his last visit in peak summer in July of 2022 when hiding in the crowd was music legend Sting.
The 30-year-old has come a long way since taking the internet by storm with his a capella arrangements of 'Isn't She Lovely' and 'Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing': He signed to Quincy Jones' production company, has released five albums (the latest, Djesse Vol 4., including collaborations with John Mayer, Camilo, the Metropole Orkest, and Chris Martin from Coldplay). and has won six Grammy Awards. He is considered one of the most influential characters of modern music.
What stood out as much as the music was Collier’s humility and humour. Between songs, he shared anecdotes about his creative process, entering his musical universe in a room in North London, and how that room gradually expanded over the years, so to speak. He told the audience we all have a room like that: "It can be a physical space, or a place of ideas and dreams in our chests that we should tune in to and explore." Collier is an inspiring educator.
The artist's multicoloured universe was strengthened by a gripping light show, including disco balls and trees with bulbs making for inviting stage decor. That room was somehow being transported from North London to Belval.
In stripped-back solo moments, Collier inaugurated December with 'The Christmas Song,' and a beautiful rendition of Elvis' 'Can't Help Falling in Love.' His band was also an integral part of the show: three vocalists Lindsey Lomis (who also played a beautiful opening set), Alita Moses and Erin Bentlage, as well as Ben Jones on guitar, Robin Mullarkey on bass and Christian Euman on drums, each had their moment to shine in collaborative spirit.
A Jacob Collier show will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea. The arrangements are harmonically complex, with fast changing rhythms, riffs and licks, attracting an audience that loves nerding out about polyrhythms and dominant chords. Most of it is not music you put on for a relaxing evening. However, beyond the complexity of his "chops," shines a light of humility and musical connection: Jacob Collier is not here to impress–we know he's good–he's sharing his musical world in a very authentic way. And this makes his shows far more approachable than expected, even to a not-so-trained ear.
Towards the end of the two-hour evening, Jacob engaged in some unique audience interaction. Dividing the room into three groups, he built chords and rhythms, conducting each and everyone's parts, and building anticipation and momentum to a beautifully sung final chord after 10 minutes. OK, slightly in disharmony here and there, but the Rockhal never sounded so in-tune.
"The Choir of Luxembourg," he says. No one does it like Jacob.
