It seems as though everything has been coming up Dijon this past year, and the 33-year-old multi-hyphenate is making it look easy. He's the dark horse of the music industry that people never forgot about – even with a four-year wait for his already career-defining sophomore album Baby.

His distinct, quirky R&B stylings have penetrated the mainstream via his extensive involvement with Justin Bieber's comeback album SWAG, and its creatively titled companion album SWAG II. While those records were certainly mixed bags and were contextually inseparable from Bieber's slew of PR nightmares, the ones that best showcased his innate star power were those produced by Dijon. This work by and large earned him his first Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year (non-classical).

I had the opportunity to see Dijon at the gorgeous Met theater in Philadelphia. The venue ditched its typical small GA pit in front of the stage for a fully seated show, but the seats were abandoned by the second song in the set. "Many Times", a highlight from Dijon's 2021 debut Absolutely, was sped up by about the amount you would for a final Mario Kart lap (or for the nerds: by 25bpm). Singing along to its tongue-twistery pre-chorus felt like a rhythm game the whole audience was playing amongst each other.

What the show lacked in theatrics and visual elements that have become common accoutrement to higher budget tours like this is made up for in sheer personnel and musicality. The ten musicians on stage operated like a jazz combo with Dijon as its maestro. How much was demanded of each musician was widely varied, but all were vital in their own way. Notably, former Dirty Projectors member Amber Coffman sat on stage right intermittently contributing backing vocals; the texture her unique vocal timbre brought to the evening was invaluable.

The ensemble as a whole did a stellar job recreating the distinct sounds of Baby's tracks. Dijon's vocal performance was remarkable, sounding nearly indistinguishable from how he sounds on the record. It's clear that a considerable chunk of the tour budget was allotted to the transportation of racks upon racks of synths in the name of faithful replication of Baby's eccentric sonic palette. Not even the obnoxiously drunk couple behind me could fully draw away from that.

Prefacing the performance of Baby's title track, Dijon triggered a chopped up sample of Justin Bieber's divisive, but ultimately inescapable 2010 hit of the same name. While the bit incited some chuckles, it was simultaneously a reminder of the ongoing victory lap he's has found himself running these days. Drawing away from the set's precise recreations, Dijon's biggest hit "The Dress" and Baby closer "Kindalove" were both slowed down and sonically altered, transforming them into Hughes-movie-closing '80s slow jams.

Dijon is set to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend, and if his tour performance is any indication, it should be a slam dunk.