Miguel @ The Anthem - 9/4/2018
Miguel stunning the crowd at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Avery Junius/@1takeace)
The Ascension Tour is a fitting title for the latest cross country outing for Los Angeles bred artist Miguel. His star power has risen with each successive album release as the emotional weight, and sonic complexity has continued to evolve, and his work on 2017’s War & Leisure is no exception.
Engulfed in smoke with a gold microphone and sleek leather biker jacket (and complemented by a full band and 4 backup dancers) Miguel ignited his latest tour stop atop a flight of stairs with the track “Criminal.” Whether it was channeling his inner Michael Jackson gliding across the stage, passionately nailing his signature vocal run-ons, or breaking out his own guitar, the fireworks that kicked off the evening never got dialed back.
Midway through the set, the digital display behind him read “Allow yourself to ascend” - a summary of a few short monologues he provided in between songs (and also a theme that runs throughout his latest album.) The crowd went to church to a slew of his old cuts in a medley that included “All I Want Is You,” “Power Trip,” and “Sure Thing,” but it was moments like a special red light rendition of “Pussy is “Mine” and his latest platinum single “Skywalker” where the set indeed ascended into an event that you had to see to believe.
Miguel was joined by his blood brother Nonchalant Savant and Canadian-duo DVSN on the Ascension tour. Nonchalant Savant’s album ¡spark! is available now as well as DVSN’s latest album titled Morning After.
