Judging by the reception Jason Derulo received when he kicked off his Australian tour in Melbourne, it seems he’s taken one step up in terms of his popularity in this country. The 24-year-old received a hero’s welcome from a predominantly teen female audience as he walked on 20 minutes late, in black jeans and matching red jacket, hat and sneakers. He kicked right into the earlier In My Head and into a set of pop, R&B and hip hop, following up with Whatcha Say, Stupid Love and after asking “how many of the ladies are single, though?” moved into Ridin Solo.
The two-hour-plus show was total entertainment. There were eight excellent dancers who worked the simple multi-platform stage, many costume changes, lots of bare chests, and gymnastics. His dancing never affected his vocal performance. A girl fan was serenaded with Marry Me. Five more were invited up to lay on a pyramid that the singer and the dancers formed on all-fours to which they did push-ups to the beat of the music. More songs followed: It Girl, Breathing, Fight For You, a cover of Lorde’s Royals, Don’t Wanna Go Home (another crowd favourite during which he channeled Michael Jackson) The Other Side and the crowd pleaser Talk Dirty.
Throughout, his interaction with the crowd was awesome. He spoke about how he fractured his neck during rehearsals two years ago. “There was a point where I didn’t know when I was gonna walk again” and advised, “You should make every moment count.” He also announced that Australia was his “second home”. Apparently someone had told him when he was in New Zealand earlier that week that Aussies didn’t know how to party, so he told the crowd to scream loud enough so that the Kiwis could hear!
He warned that he’d be fined $100,000 if he went over time, but still came back for an encore that included Wiggles and finished off with the smash hit Trumpets.
BY TANYA ELIEZER
Loved: The pyramid formation with his dancers.
Hated: Not being hauled up on stage!
Drank: Diet Coke and red wine.
