CONFETTI, FIRE AND HIT AFTER HIT: JASON DERULO DOES BRIGHTON

I’ll hold my hands up straight away: I usually prefer smaller venues. Give me a low ceiling, a tight crowd and a bit of chaos over a huge arena production any day. Or at least, that was the case until Jason Derulo rolled into Brighton Centre on 3rd February and completely changed my mind.

Even before doors opened, the scale of this tour was impossible to ignore. Outside the venue sat at least seven articulated lorries and two large tour buses, a small city on wheels parked by the seafront. By the end of the night, as fans filtered out into the cold, there must have been 70–80 crew already waiting to move in and start dismantling the entire production, ready to ship it overnight to Bournemouth ICC for the next show. Pop might sometimes get dismissed as disposable, but there’s nothing throwaway about an operation of this size.

Support came from Thera and LZ7, both of whom set the tone nicely. Thera delivered slick, modern pop with confidence, while LZ7 brought a high-energy, feel-good set that got bodies moving early. By the time the lights dropped for the main event, the Brighton Centre was more than ready.

And when Jason Derulo appeared, the show didn’t so much begin as ignite.

The staging was in constant motion. Platforms rose and fell, performers disappeared into the floor only to re-emerge moments later, and the production leaned hard into spectacle – fire, smoke, sparklers and confetti all deployed with precision. During a euphoric run through Trumpets, the entire venue exploded in colour. Each audience member had been given a light-up wristband, synced perfectly to the music, turning the crowd into part of the show and adding an extra layer of atmosphere that genuinely elevated the experience.

Derulo’s back catalogue is absurdly deep, and the setlist made that very clear. Over nearly two hours, he tore through hit after hit: ‘Whatcha Say‘, ‘In My Head‘, ‘Ridin’ Solo‘, ‘Want to Want Me‘, ‘Swalla‘, ‘Talk Dirty‘, ‘Savage Love‘, ‘Take You Dancing‘, ‘Jalebi Baby‘, ‘It Girl‘, ‘Tip Toe‘ and many more. There were well-placed covers too, including ‘Love Tonight‘ and ‘Seven Nation Army‘, alongside global crossover moments like ‘Komasava‘ and the ‘Ta Ta Ta‘ remix.

In fact, there were so many songs that not all of them could fit into the set. At one point, Derulo’s DJ stepped forward to deliver a medley of tracks that didn’t make the cut, which somehow felt less like filler and more like a flex. Not many artists can casually remind you how many hits they’ve got waiting in the wings.

The dancers deserve serious credit. There were so many on stage at times that counting felt pointless, and they were central to the performance rather than just background decoration. Combined with visuals and staging that constantly evolved, the show never once felt static. Derulo himself was fully engaged throughout, even taking time for a crowd walkabout, sending the floor into meltdown.

This tour is being presented as a farewell to Jason Derulo as we know him, with the artist openly talking about evolution — musically, personally, and creatively — as he moves into a new chapter. If this really is the closing of one era, it’s an impressively confident way to draw that line.

I might still gravitate toward smaller rooms, but nights like this are a reminder of what pop can be when it’s done right. Big, bold and surprisingly personal — Jason Derulo didn’t just play Brighton, he won it over. And if you’re even slightly on the fence about catching this tour, take it from someone who usually avoids venues of this size: go. If you get the chance to see one of the remaining shows, you won’t regret it.

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Kevin O'Sullivan

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