It was a gloomy Wednesday evening. The clouds were heavy and the skies were gray and yet, everything felt just right for Daniel Caesar's highly anticipated return to Manila. 

A lot has changed since the GRAMMY-winning act's last visit to the Philippines. It almost feels like an entire lifetime ago but his Filipino fans' connection with his music continue to prove unrelenting. The sold-out show at the World Trade Center drew fans from all walks life, coming in ready for their hearts to be filled and soul to be renewed. 

The evening began with an opening performance from Jason Dhakal, warming up the crowd with his impressive runs and fervent vocals. Building up the perfect atmosphere for what the rest of night was set to bring, the Oman-raised, Manila-based singer-songwriter filled the vast hall with so much emotion and warmth as he ran through 'Endlessly+Tenderly', 'manila', and 'ur man', as well as an unreleased track from his upcoming album.

Speaking into existence what all our hearts yearned for, Jason moved into his last song, 'Body & Soul' with an excited exclamation: "I can't wait for Daniel Caesar." as the crowd mirrored the singer's energy with so much glee. 

As the excitement and anticipation builds, Caesar finally emerged on stage. While his entrance was far from grand, his presence was all-encompassing. He began his set with the sonically scintillating 'Ocho Rios' and in an instant, the crowd was one, echoing the lyrics: "You're my saving grace."

He continued on with 'Let Me Go' and 'ENTROPY' before exclaiming how good it felt to be back in Manila. There was warmth that lingered between his words, one the crowd matched as they embraced his return like an long overdue homecoming. 

"I feel like you guys were louder last time," Caesar said, referring to his debut headlining show in the city in 2019. While this was the singer's attempt to hype up the crowd, it was true. A Manila audience has a known reputation of being loud, of singing every single word back to the artist on stage but in that instance, everyone was quiet—but for very good reason. 

Caesar was captivating, enchanting everyone into a euphoric trance with his soulful and smooth vocals. Coupled with beautifully orchestrated stage lighting and backdrops, the singer bore an aura where everything felt so tranquil, so delicate that even a breath out of place felt it would shatter this moment into a million pieces.

As he croons about heartbreak and vulnerability, you couldn't help but be in awe. It was like you had to stay still to take everything in before it's all over, every fleeting second was too precious to let pass without your full attention. 

But of course, the quiet didn't last for too long. As Caesar ran through heartfelt tracks like 'Valentina', 'Best Part', 'Violet', and 'Always', the show became a community sing-along, everyone baring their heart and soul as they spoke Caesar's introspective and revealing lyrics as if they were their own.

"That’s my favorite part about coming out here, is you guys can all really sing," he says. 

A short scan through the hall, you see tearful eyes and warm embraces, carefree sways and bright smiles. Caesar's concert was nothing too fancy, they never have been. Even when conffetti washed over the crowd during his closing performance of 'Get You', it was not an explosion but rather a graceful descent.

The singer's shows have always been a showcase of pure emotion and heart as his music creates a space and moment in time where you can simply be and feel. As the outside world continues to go through hellish amounts of crazy and chaos on a daily basis, this night was exactly what everyone needed.