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Miguel @ the BrooklynVegan Saturday day party (pics, review)

photos by Amanda Hatfield and Chris La Putt, words by Andrew Sacher

“Miguel is worth the wait #swoonme @brooklynvegan” – Mayuri Reddy

“Miguel’s set @PublicAssembly was brief but chisel-sharp. Even his bodyguards were bobbing along. Thank you @brooklynvegan!! ML #CMJ2012” – Time Out NY

Miguel at (and outside) Public Assembly – 10/20/12
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R&B’s new favorite posterchild, Miguel stopped in NYC over the weekend and made surprise appearances at FADER Fort on Friday, which Pitchfork was at, and the free BrooklynVegan day party at Public Assembly on Saturday (which we announced on Friday). Here’s a bit about our show…

As Miguel was preparing to go on, the venue hit capacity and there were still people lined up outside the door for the singer. It took a bit of extra set-up time to get the sound right, and his set was a short one, but the crowd seemed to agree it was still worth the wait. Due to last minute coordination issues, Miguel was unfortunately without his band and was only backed by someone on keyboards/samples, but that didn’t hinder anything either. Even with the small set up, he filled the venue with rumbling bass, and Miguel, as sharp a singer live as he is on record, cut through the mix with ease. There seemed to still be a bit of uncertainty in his live show earlier this year, but whatever kinks may have existed have been worked out — Miguel’s arguably strongest point is now that he’s such a confident performer. He worked the crowd with suave dance moves and show-offy vocal runs that left the crowd screaming and Miguel grinning at the power he’s got up there. He opened with some earlier singles like “Sure Thing” but ended the set with Kaleidoscope Dream single, “Adorn,” and at that point had everyone going wild and singing along.

Major label R&B has been slowly making its way into indie rock acceptance, and along with Frank Ocean and The Weeknd, Miguel is one of the leaders of this. But if you’re still iffy on him or the whole trend in general, do yourself a favor and check him out live. I don’t think anyone walked out of that room disappointed on Saturday. His next announced date in NYC happens when his tour with Trey Songz and Elle Varner hits The Theatre at MSG on December 5 (tickets). (editor’s note to Miguel: cancel that tour and do your own headlining run!).

More pictures from his set at the BV day party, where we were proudly sponsored by Sailor Jerry, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Mercy, and Raw Revolution, are below…

(by Chris)

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(by Amanda)

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