CONCERT REVIEW: Majid Jordan

As I arrived to The Powerstation there was a little queue that had formed just as the doors were opening. I noticed a handful of people rush to the barrier, clearly wanting to be at the front.

DJ I.E. took the stage to get the crowd amped for Majid Jordan. Sadly if anything, he just made the crowd a bit more forceful about Majid Jordan coming out. He didn’t speak a word to the crowd and he also played a lot of songs that no one seemed to know. The crowd seemed more into the house music that was playing after the DJ set finished. It consisted of quite a bit of Drake, but that wasn’t surprising and the crowd didn’t complain.

I spoke with a few fans in the front row and it was awesome to see their excitement. Calvin, who I met, said he had been waiting years for this show. Him and his friends Pearl & Jess couldn’t get over how close they were. Though I’m sure Majid Jordan we’re just as excited to meet their NZ fans for the first time.

The lights went out and Jordan Ullman took the stage. He kicked the set off with a vibing intro before Majid Al Masksti joined him and kicked off the track ‘Gave Your Love Away’. Majid paced the stage continuously throughout the night, ensuring he got to interact with the full crowd. He even busted out some dance moves and I’ll give him credit for that, he’s got some good moves. The crowd seemed to be feeding off his energy and he acknowledged them by high-fiving the front row.

Then there was ‘You’, the 1 song he sat on a stool to sing. I don’t know how but it felt as though the room became more intimate. The visuals that played out on the screen behind Jordan were very well paired with the tracks they performed. It varied from a range of geometric shapes and flowers to a women’s form, neon cityscape and a thunderous sky. The crowd was vibing along and you wouldn’t have thought the set was already coming to an end but it was. During ‘One I Want’ Majid left the stage

But he did return “Auckland how you feeling? Give it up for yourselves”. The guys were clearly very happy to be here and Majid wanted to make sure the crowd knew it. “Thank you so much for being such a beautiful crowd. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you”.

“If you came with someone that you love, tell them that right now. If you came alone introduce yourself to people and make some friends”. Majid took to a mic stand and gave an intimate performance of ‘The Space Between’. He moved around with the mic stand a bit as the song built. Majid definitely knew how to move and how to work the crowd.

Jordan played out the set as Majid departed the stage, but it was obvious an encore was following. The visual on the screen built up their return as they came out and dived into the track ‘A Place Like This’. After a few more songs the set actually came to an end “Auckland, New Zealand thank you so much. Give it up for my brother Jordan, I love you so much. 70 shows this yeah and we finished it here”. After thanking everyone Majid asked the crowd multiple times “Can we play one more fucking song?!” The crowd were excited and helped end the set nicely as the crowd sung out the last words of ‘Her’. After thanking the crowd one last time, “Thank you for being our final destination. We love you and we’ll see you soon”, Majid Jordan departed the stage. The house lights came on and the crowd began to leave.

You know, the show had it’s faults. The sound was VERY loud which made the bass more intense than usual. I also sometimes wondered if Jordan was actually doing anything or faking it but I’d say he definitely seemed to be actually playing.. Also it wasn’t sold out and the crowd was only packed in downstairs.

But it was a good show and Majid Jordan definitely gave the crowd what they wanted!

SETLIST:

INTRO: GIVE YOUR LOVE AWAY OG HEARTTHROB SMALL TALK PACIFICO EVERY STEP YOU ONE I WANT MY IMAGINATION NOT ASHAMED BODY TALK THE SPACE BETWEEN OUTRO

ENCORE: A PLACE LIKE THIS U KING CITY HER

– Review and Photographed by Shelley Te Haara www.instagram.com/art.by.shelley