Gig review: Jason Derulo, Glasgow Hydro

As the adage goes, if Jason Derulo was chocolate he would eat himself.

Jason Derulo. Picture: Getty Images

Jason Derulo | Rating: *** | Glasgow Hydro

The young R&B star milked the reaction to his arrival onstage, paused for the inevitable squeals whenever he offered a glimpse of trim torso – and pushed his serious artist credentials with an indulgent but mercifully brief clip of Jason Derulo discussing the world of Jason Derulo.

Derulo is undoubtedly a good soul song and dance man – one of many influenced by Michael Jackson – in search of a tune. His best tracks occupied boy band or Justin Bieber territory. Much of the rest of the set merely consisted of jams and grooves, attention deficit offerings which switched styles and tempos in a heartbeat, yet didn’t develop much beyond a hook, leaving MCs, dancers and his thundering live band to cover the costume changes.

The production design was pretty plain for an arena show, the most audacious set piece being a routine where Derulo interacts with the rainy cityscape projected across the big screen behind him. Instead, the old school set pieces were what really endeared him as a performer. There was the priceless reaction of the besotted fan he plucked from the front row to serenade onstage – though this was nothing to the excitement generated when he unexpectedly popped up in the Hydro balcony and employed the entire audience as back-up dancers.

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