For his European leg of the CAOS Tour, Miguel makes a stop in Milan to celebrate his Italian fans. The singer who broke through with his smooth R&B tunes is ready to show us his organic evolution into the true rockstar he is today. The stage has a crashed car, upside down in the middle, adding another level to the set. Red lights shine bright through the smoke machines, truly setting the scene for what is awaiting us.
Miguel and his band bring the energy from the moment they enter the stage. The singer climbs onto the car with his electric guitar and for a second you’d forget he was once considered one of the most promising R&B singers. Yet nothing feels staged or unnatural, it’s as if he was born with the guitar in his hands. The singer mentions: “I grew up in a punk town called San Pedro and my father was a massive Clash fan.” After hearing this, it all falls into place. Punk rock was part of his upbringing.
Surprisingly enough, the songs from his critically acclaimed first and second albums don’t feel misplaced in the setlist at all. If anything, it shows that Miguel always had a good ear for which songs would sound perfect in a live band setting. The songs that once felt like they were competing in the landscape of Usher and Trey Songz now fall completely into their own lane. A lane that only Miguel walks with his R&B rock sound. We couldn’t be more happy to hear our favorites ‘Do You..’, ‘Coffee’ and ‘How Many Drinks?’ come to life. Especially the latter was a standout performance of the night. The singer charms his way through the song as he makes eye contact with the crowd, asking how many drinks it would take them to come home with him.
The singer carries a certain anger with him tonight. He is mad at the world we live in and decides to write ‘Fuck war’ with spray paint on the car before speaking about the current state of America. The live rendition of ‘Candles in the Sun’ is perfectly placed after this honest and emotional moment. Things slow down for a bit as the singer expresses his hope in us and in the moment we find ourselves in.
Usually it’s pretty easy to predict which songs will be the fan favorites of the night. Not tonight, though, as the crowd is at its loudest during ‘Girl With The Tattoo’. The short, slow song from his debut album is received with open arms. Yes, the song is beautiful and gives us a moment to breathe during the full-on show, yet it’s surprising that this seems to be the moment we’ve all been waiting for.
Before the show, we weren’t too familiar with his latest album CAOS. We were pleasantly surprised hearing it live. The singer is ready to show us we’ve been missing out and should have been tuned in since day one. The title track ‘CAOS’ blends Spanish and English to perfection. It lands somewhere between rock and hip-hop, while also leaning into Spanish acoustic guitars and reggaeton. This blend is delicious and allows the band to show what they’re capable of. The almost anxious songs ‘Triggered’ and ‘RIP’ instantly become new favorites and will go straight into rotation from here on out. Both are full-energy rock songs, blending multiple genres at once. They demand your attention, both in the production and in his vocal delivery.
Our personal favorite moment is, of course, one of R&B’s all-time best songs: ‘Adorn’. The song is timeless and fits right in with classics by artists like D’Angelo and Maxwell. Not only is the production one for the history books, Miguel’s vocal range is truly something else. It’s always the question how the live version compares to the original, but no worries here. He delivers a version that might even be better. The voice this man has is nothing short of breathtaking.
The show ends with full energy thanks to ‘Sky Walker’ and ‘Sure Thing’. Two fan favorites that have the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs. The audience is a mix of young and older fans, likely thanks to the ‘second life’ ‘Sure Thing’ received after going viral on TikTok. The song climbed back up the charts twelve years after its release.
Recently, we’ve seen a lot of huge spectacle shows. Concerts with dancers, multiple outfit changes, transforming sets and even live orchestras. While we love all of that, it’s refreshing to see Miguel perform a full two-hour show without any of those tricks. Just pure love for live music.