State Champ Radio reviews
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SZA‘s five-year absence certainly made fans’ hearts grow fonder on record, as last December’s SOS album enjoys a nine-week (and counting) residency at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. And that’s translating to the live stage, too.
The just-launched SOS North American Tour from Billboard‘s Woman of the Year rolled into Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on Friday night (Feb. 24) for its third show, a honed and sleek spectacle before a packed house of about 15,000 ecstatic SZA heads who hadn’t seen the star in more than four years. It’s a step up from the theaters the singer (real name: Solana Imani Rowe) was playing last time out, but she came armed with the music and visuals to validate what’s rapidly become a genre-straddling iconic status during the interim.
Best of all, SZA’s new show managed to sidestep the pitfalls that undermine so many other pop diva expositions. She deftly worked a whopping 31 songs — from her two studio albums, with some choice covers and obscure tracks — into the 90-minute set, but they never felt rushed or shoehorned. The costume changes (six total) were nimbly executed without lengthy speed-bump interludes.
The conceptual focus was strong, and SZA and company — three musicians tucked on the stage sides, four dancers and plenty of pre-recorded augmentation (included guest singers) — recreated the tunes with a smooth and convincing precision, rooted primarily in the chill ambience that’s SZA’s stock-in-trade.
The net result was a fat-free concert that maintained momentum and kept the surprises from start to finish. Taking off from the SOS album cover, the show opened with “PSA,” one of 17 of the new set’s tracks on the setlist, as a phalanx of video screens rose to reveal SZA sitting on a diving board above the stage, with an ocean of water projected behind her before she “dove” (via projection) and emerged on floor level with a sinewy “Seek & Destroy.” The singer then took the crowd through a journey, starting with a seaside pier setting for “Notice Me,” “Love Galore,” a short rendition of Erykah Badu‘s “Bag Lady” that segued into “Blind” and more.
After a quick break that included live footage of SZA making a costume change while singing “Smoking on My Ex Pack,” the stage transformed into a full-size fishing trawler that gave the dancers multiple levels to perform their routines. SZA made her way through “All the Stars” (her Kendrick Lamar collaboration from Black Panther: The Album) “Prom” and “Garden (Say It Like Dat)” before seas got rough, with hi-def visual effects, during forceful performances of “F2F” (with guitarist Ari O’ Neal rocking on deck), “Drew Barrymore” and “Doves in the Wind.” A throbbing “Low” then took the Good Ship SZA down to Davey Jones’ Locker with SZA performing an impressive split and full back-bend while O’Neal soloed.
SZA later emerged in outfit number three, singing acoustic renditions of “Supermodel,” Lizzo‘s “Special” and “Nobody Gets me” while riding a life raft above the audience, towards a lighthouse inflated just behind the soundboard. “I’m really, really grateful to be here with y’all to sing these songs about a breakup,” she said in a rare moment of dialogue with the crowd.
“Gone Girl” took her back to the stage, where the SZA crew played a few songs — Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More,” “Love Language” and a particularly soulful “Snooze” — on the ocean “floor,” in front of a giant anchor and images of jellyfish, sharks and other sea creatures streaming by. An assertive “Kill Bill,” meanwhile, was accompanied by silhouetted images of the dancers, swords ‘n’ all, fighting behind the screens.
Rather than close with a bang, SZA finished smooth but with power, particularly on “I Hate U” before a vibey “The Weekend” closed the main show. “Good Days,” with SZA back on the diving board where she started, above now-calm waters, served as the lone encore. She did not have much to say during the night, but the songs and the staging said everything and delivered a message that she’s truly made a next-level step in her career.
The SOS North American Tour visits Toronto on Saturday (Feb. 25) and has 15 more dates slated, wrapping with a pair of shows on March 22-23 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
See SZA’s Detroit setlist below.
“PSA”“Seek & Destroy”“Notice Me”“Love Galore”“Broken Clocks”“Forgiveless”“Used”“Bag Lady” (Erykah Badu cover)“Blind”“Shirt”“Smoking on My Ex Pack”“All the Stars”“Prom”“Garden (Say It Like Dat)”“F2F”“Drew Barrymore”“Doves in the Wind”“Low”“Open Arms”“Supermodel”/”Special”“Nobody Gets Me”“Gone Girl”“SOS”“Kiss Me More” (Doja Cat cover)“Love Language”“Kill Bill”“I Hate U”“The Weekend”
Encore:“Good Days”
Entering London’s evocative Electric Ballroom last night (Jan. 5), we surpassed a queue snaking down two blocks of Camden High Street. The space, which opened in 1978 and typically hosts live acts, suited the surprise event surprisingly well. Perched on the balcony above, we had a clear view to overlook the interaction between the three rather unexpected friends on the bill: Skrillex, Four Tet and Fred again…
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We arrived at 9 p.m. and the crowd was already oozing peak-time enthusiasm. The excitement was obvious, and rightly so — the show had sold out within 10 minutes of being announced via the artists’ Instagram stories hours before the show. (Rather adorably, Fred also posted a story of himself slipping into Skrillex’s hotel yesterday and waking up the sleeping producer, who’d just arrived from L.A., so he could get up and post the event to his own IG.)
There was no support act last night, just a four hour back-to-back between the three artists. Together, the trio have a web of collaborations between them — with U.K. master Four Tet working on Fred again..’s June 2022 track “Jungle” and the 2021 Skrillex and Starrah collab “Butterflies,” and the dance scene’s premier ascendent star Fred collaborating with Skrillex on “Rumble,” released the day before the show (Jan. 5) as the Skrillex hype machine fires to life ahead of his forthcoming album.
Last night, the collision of the three artists’ styles was apparent from the jump; throughout the night you could confidently guess who was behind the selection of each track.
The hosts regularly interacted with the eager, Thursday night crowd, checking in by throwing a singular cordless mic between each other. At one point, Fred jumped on to the mic to ask, “Do you all have enough room to dance?” His rhetorical question was answered by squeals and screams — not dissimilar to hysterical fans at a boy band concert. The sea of people rippled as one, as people stayed put on the dancefloor for the entire set.
At around 9.30pm, a vocal from Disney’s Frozen‘s famous “Let It Go” was laid over the familiar growls and thrums of Skrillex’s signature sound. This was a foreshadowing of the rest of the evening; after all, this clash of styles was bound to present the dancers with some curveballs — we came knowing to expect the unexpected. With the crowd putty in their hands from early on, the three DJs made the most of their playful selections.
Skrillex, a.k.a. Sonny Moore, was bounding around the stage during the performance, hyping up the crowd from the table that also hosted the decks. Below him, Fred and Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) slinked between each other, achieving almost seamless transition between their staple sounds.
The crowd fizzed when any Fred again.. tune was about to be brought in. It perfectly demonstrated his fans’ loyal and impressive knowledge of his back catalogue; tracks such as “Hannah (the sun)” and “Strong” were warmly received. Phone screens peaked up through the sea of heads, as everyone wanted to capture their favorite Fred track.
Four Tet’s recognizable, ethereal vocals blended with grinding bass excited the older, headsier side of the crowd — as the Skrillex sound brought the millennials in the audience right back to our teenage years. This was certainly a whirlpool of old and new, a melting pot of sounds and cultures, a combination of flamboyant American excitement and quiet British confidence. Skrillex even informed the crowd that he had put some money behind the bar, making it very apparent they were hosting what felt like a huge house party.
Bringing us back to the present day, PinkPantheress’ TikTok hit “Just for Me” caused a wave of joy, teased ahead of the release of Skrillex’s own collaboration with the U.K. star and Trippie Redd, “Way Back,” which landed last night as the show was happening. Although many may recognize Skrillex as an artist who was an early influence for many current dance fans, this new release further demonstrates his ability to evolve successfully and authentically, collaborating with fresh and exciting talent here across the pond.
Whether this unlikely trio continue their seemingly unstoppable ascent, or if yesterday’s event was just one of those crazy nights of legend, the collective fanbase of these three huge acts is indisputable. In an age where artists can interact with their fans more closely than ever before, there was a knowing intimacy between the audience and the three conductors that felt like a new wave of dance music fandom.
Tracks featured:
Fred again…, “Hannah (the Sun)“Eskuche, “Passion” (Extended Mix)Hamdi , “Never Let You Go Edit” (Original by Sammy Virji)Romy & Fred again.., “Strong“KH, “Looking at Your Pager”Hackney Parrot, “Tessela” (Remix)PinkPantheress, “Just for Me“Skrillex, “Cinema“Adam F, “Circles” (Pola & Bryson Bootleg)Fred again.., Four Tet & Skrillex, “Baby Again..“Fred again.., “Jungle” Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan, “Rumble”
The last time BLACKPINK performed at Newark’s Prudential Center was under a very special set of circumstances — the K-pop group took the stage at the VMAs in August to perform their sizzling Born Pink hit “Pink Venom,” which also served as the group’s live debut of the track and their first time performing at an American awards show. Though the girl group — which consists of members Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé — dominated at the show, they admitted during their Nov. 14 Born Pink tour stop at Prudential they were nervous to be back. Based on their performance, it was hard to believe.
The moment the group’s iconic “BLACKPINK in your area” tag and establishing horns blared through speakers, Blinks knew exactly which track the quartet was opening with and buzzed with energy and excitement. The set kicked off with BLACKPINK’s personal statement, “How You Like That,” which saw the group expertly hit the song’s memorable choreography with the help from female backup dancers. The opening track served as BLACKPINK’s formal arrival, and concluded with larger than life stage fireworks — in pink, of course — and streamers as if to say “we’re here.”
The hits didn’t stop there — the first act of the concert catered to fans of their high-energy songs, from The Album‘s fan favorites “Pretty Savage” and “Lovesick Girls” to equally pumped up performances of “Don’t Know What To Do” from the Kill This Love EP and the group’s sizzling-yet-sparsely produced debut single “Whistle.” BLACKPINK continued to dabble in pyrotechnics during the show’s second and third acts, with more fireworks, and at times, actual fire onstage by the time “Kill This Love” and “Playing With Fire” rolled around in the setlist. Those were later followed by tracks “Pink Venom”, “Shut Down,” “DDU-DU DDU-DU” and “Typa Girl.”
Fans of BLACKPINK who have seen the group perform either in person or in video know that the girls divide their concert in half, with the second part featuring individual performances from each member of the group, and last night’s performance at the Prudential Center was no exception.
Jisoo was first up to the plate and performed a solo cover of Camila Cabello’s 2019 track “Liar,” a wonderful compliment to her unique vocal tone, while strutting down the runway stage and performing sultry dance moves with the help of the group’s background dancers. Jennie, who often performed her solo debut track “Solo” in previous BLACKPINK concerts, did not go for the obvious choice this time — instead she gave fans a taste of a potential new solo track (fans are calling “You & Me,” though it has no official title yet), which saw her perform equal parts intricate and elegant dance moves with a male dancer, and highlighted her magnetic energy. Rosé, meanwhile, had more than enough solo material to work with but went with Born Pink solo cut “Hard to Love” and R single “On the Ground.” Lisa provided a masterclass in dancing when it came time to perform her solo hits “Lalisa” and “Money,” which saw Blinks in the audience performing the tracks’ moves, sometimes as well as her backup dancers on stage.
One of the sweetest highlights of the show was during the encore. After a near-10-minute wait — which saw fans across the area leading “when I say black, you say pink” and “boombayah” chants to rile up the crowd — the girls came back looking cozy in sweatshirts, hoodies and tees from their merch line, and stripped back their larger-than-life stage personas to goof around and make un-choreographed dances and cute faces with each other while singing “Yeah Yeah Yeah.” Before ending the show, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé took a picture with the entire stadium, prompting the Blinks in attendance to wave their lightsticks and throw up K-pop finger hearts for the camera.
BLACKPINK’s Born Pink tour shows that despite being a top performing global act, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé maintain the loving charm that has cemented them such a passionate fanbase. But don’t be fooled by their sweetness — their talent and star power can “shut down” almost any arena the second they decide to turn it on.
In the time since Paramore‘s last performance in New York — which took place in 2018 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as part of the band’s After Laughter tour — there was a major shift. The group has always had a fiercely dedicated group of fans across different races, genders and sexualities, but when the pandemic saw the rebirth of pop punk and alternative music, seen in the rise of stars like Olivia Rodrigo and GAYLE, fans of the genre went back to the basics and flocked back to Paramore. So when the group announced an intimate gig at the historic Beacon Theatre on Sunday, the energy was fierce, fun and as, expected, energetic.
The gig kicked off with Paramore’s newest single, “This Is Why,” which showcased the agility of lead singer Hayley Williams’ vocals as she hit the snappy track’s high notes and funky low notes with ease, all while expertly performing her signature choreography consisting of intricate footwork, larger-than-life arm movements and head bangs (though the latter was in a shorter supply after a warning from Williams’ personal chiropractor, she told the audience during a speaking break).
The first half of the set saw Paramore catering to OG fans with a series of songs from the band’s first three albums, including Brand New Eyes single “Brick by Boring Brick,” Riot! classic “That’s What You Get,” All We Know Is Falling deep cut and fan favorite “Here We Go Again,” plus intense live versions of “Decode” and “I Caught Myself” for all the Twi-Hards in attendance — all of which the audience members sang verbatim.
If the first half of the set was about appeasing old-school fans, the second half of the set — which commenced after a tear-jerking performance of Brand New Eyes‘ acoustic slow jam “Misguided Ghosts” — was about fans fully committing to dancing as wildly as possible, according to Williams. The latter half of the concert was anchored by hits from After Laughter and the band’s self-titled LP, including the sing-along-inducing “Ain’t It Fun” and “Still Into You,” as well as “Rose-Colored Boy” (with a portion of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) and “Hard Times” (which included a snippet of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”), before rolling into the band’s most iconic song to date.
Williams prefaced their signature hit “Misery Business” with a few words to the audience, taking the time before launching into Riot!‘s lead single with a disclaimer.
“The grace that you’ve shown us as we’ve grown up and learned our lessons in front of the world — thank you for that. We’re going to play that TikTok hit not without this disclaimer: Thank you for growing up with us, learning the tough lessons and thank you for being good people. We promise to keep trying to be good people too and to keep learning these lessons.
“This song is about misogyny,” Williams simply said, playing the track that she’s had a complicated lyrical relationship with, even vowing to not perform it live again in previous years.
With nearly 20 years of being in a band, and five of those past years on a break, Paramore’s intimate performance at the Beacon proves what has always been true of the band: God, it just feels so good…to see them live once again.
