After the Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour, the SZA SOS show is undeniably the hottest ticket in town. The London dates in particular, unsurprisingly sold out instantaneously, with additional dates needed to be added. Luckily though, we were there for the first one on Saturday in the 02, which played host to one of the most diverse audiences you’re ever likely to see. Not in just race or age, but sex and gender too, not many artists can boast the pulling power that is capable of uniting so many different demographics under one roof; certainly a real testament to the extent of SZA’s star quality.
RAYE was entrusted with the monumental task of opening the show for the legendary TDE signee, and she certainly did not disappoint. The 02 can sometimes feel cavernous and lack atmosphere, but RAYE succeeded in giving the 20,000 capacity venue a real intimate feel with vocals that sounded as clear as if they were coming from your headphones. RAYE’s focus was clearly on pure musicality, and she delivered a performance devoid of any stagecraft trickery and pyrotechnics, and genuinely had the audience hanging on her every word.
She gave a little nod to the label politics that she’d been embroiled in over the last few years, but used it as the centre point of a rousing speech that reminded the audience that anything is possible with tenacity and motivation. The audience needed little motivation to get going thereafter, and every song that came on during the intermission between RAYE and SZA’s arrival seemed to send the audience into a frenzy, the groundwork had been laid for something truly special.
As the lights came on to reveal the now iconic, vast shimmering ocean from the cover of SOS, and the rest of stage design was slowly revealed, everyone knew that we were about to bare witness to something incredible. Once the first notes from “Seek & Destroy” began to fill the room, the audience were already in a state of complete hysteria as SZA walked onto the stage. It was clear that the room was absolutely filled from top to bottom with SZA stans, as their engagement with every single track never lulled once during the hour and a half set. Even the two appearances from Travis Scott felt barely noteworthy, because there was so much more going on; specifically with the stagecraft and set design (honourable mention to the incredible dancers as well) .
Rather than just playing BTS or displaying cool (but often pointless) graphics, the set design really amplified SZA’s electrifying performance in every possible way. The visuals told a story, starting with a boat traversing the ocean, and as SZA moved between”Ghost In The Machine” to “Blind” & “Love Language” – the backdrop would change accordingly, representing the different stages of a relationship. It really was a 4D experience, which even included the manipulation of the room temperature to further immerse the audience in the ballads.
SZA brought the holy trinity to the 02 on the weekend, she had the vocals, the stagecraft and of course the hits. It’s a rarity to get to experience all three in one show, and its most certainly no mean feat to turn an album filled with songs about the machinations of modern day relationships into a selection of arena jumping anthems. SZA is a generational talent, and the 20,000 damaged voice boxes that she left in her wake are proof of that.