Did we see that Canadian artist Daniel Caesar was performing a surprise concert in Vancouver on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, with just an hour to spare? Yes. Did we let that stop us from joining the masses in the rain and the mud? Absolutely not!
Hundreds of fans gathered at John Hendry Park on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation for a surprise performance by Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds, AKA Daniel Caesar, who announced on Instagram just before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, that he would be performing at 5 p.m. at Trout Lake.
Before that, he shared a photo in Vancouver with fellow artist and friend Mustafa, who was pictured sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree.
The globally-renowned Canadian R&B artist initially found mainstream success with his critically-acclaimed 2016 single, “Get You,” featuring Kali Uchis. Before that, his 2014 EP Praise Break, and later, Pilgrims Paradise got his foot in the door.
According to the Canada Black Music Archives, Caesar overcame homelessness as a late teen and young adult, and was introduced to R&B titans Jodeci and D’Angelo, who helped to shape his early sound.
His songs “Get You” and “Best Part” featuring H.E.R. were nominated for Grammy awards for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album, respectively, with “Best Part” taking home the win in 2019.
His first #1 Canadian and U.S. Billboard hit, however, was “Peaches” featuring Justin Bieber.
Free pop-up concert in Vancouver
Hundreds of concert hopefuls showed up at Trout Lake for the surprise performance. Personally, we arrived at the Trout Lake Community Centre no later than five after 5 p.m. Was that enough to land us a spot with a decent view? Definitely not, though we were far from alone in the struggle.
In fact, by 5:08 p.m., it was impossible to see the white tent under which Caesar was performing from nearly every angle possible.
Nonetheless, the hordes of fans made do. They sat on each other’s shoulders, climbed high into the treetops (at rather troubling heights, mind you), tied their phones to their umbrellas or sticks to record what they could — anything to catch a glimpse of Caesar mid-song.
Just 15 minutes into the concert, it began to rain heavily, in true Raincouver fashion.
“I don’t like the rain,” Caesar commented in between songs. A sentiment many share. Though dozens of umbrellas began to pop up as the rain got heavier throughout the set, fans still cheered, laughed, and sang along without a care in the world.
Umbrellas may have obstructed our views, but the impeccable energy of the crowd could not be quelled. Not even when Caesar himself said, “It’s not an easy journey out of here” at the end of the concert.
He certainly wasn’t lying. But the swarms of people, muddy steps, and soaking wet jackets were all worth it.
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