Once inside an arena, it's generally easy to understand who's sitting in the audience. At O2 Arena for SZA's UK tour opening night however, it was difficult to distinguish fans from performers. They wore incongruous subcultural uniforms from cargo pants and cowboy boots to head scarves and designer slogan T-shirts; all sharing one thing in common: singing along to SZA songs about growing older yet never wiser and their indelicate emotions of agitation and joy with gusto; all singing SZA melodies which had power of forcefield strength when spoken aloud; all in attendance sang along as everyone joined her songs about growing older yet never wiser and expressed emotions of both anger and joy that had the capacity of an electric charge of energy! Her voice carried throughout, sounding like it were an electric charge off its own; all stayed awake while her songs inspired them into an unforgettable concert experience that left no one standing untouched; everyone sang along to every word she sang while she spoke out in concert!
SZA seamlessly integrated 31 songs from her two studio albums as well as select covers into her 90-minute show, without resorting to frequent costume changes or speed bumps that often derail pop diva exposition. She combined vocal prowess with flawless dance moves for an evening filled with magic that truly showcased SZA's music as she created an atmosphere that made you forget it was 90 minutes!
At its heart was SZA in her bright pink two-piece princess dress and crown stepping aboard an orange lifeboat suspended from the arena's rafters and sailing above the crowd. Her music often conveys feelings of alienation or disconnection from oneself akin to being trapped under an ocean of emotions; its perfect representation was highlighted through SZA's soulfully anthemic "Nobody Gets Me" and acoustic-based "Nobody Understands" being enhanced by an illuminated venue and sea of lights which flooded each song's lyrics with harmony and light accentuations by SZA herself on each track, adding layers of depth into her performances.
