By Caroline Dehn, AEIC
On February 28th, 2023, SZA arrived in D.C. for her SOS tour, performing her new album with the same title. Though the new album was at the forefront of the setlist, SZA also sang songs from her debut album, Ctrl, that has become a favorite among Gen-Z listeners. SZA has gained popularity since the release of her album Ctrl in 2017, but has seen a recent spike in listeners this year due to TikTok as well.
SZA picked singer Omar Apollo to be the opening act for the tour. Apollo has a smooth R&B sound that both compliments SZA’s music and attracts similar fanbases. The artist has quickly risen to fame as his songs became viral hits on TikTok.
He first began with his song “Useless,” a crowd pleaser that set the upbeat tone for the beginning of the set. Apollo’s energy was bright and enthusiastic, encouraging the audience to dance and jump along to each of the tunes. Later, he slowed the tempo, performing “Endlessly,” and “3 Boys,” his new hit single. The moody lighting and screams from young fans brought life to the performance overall. Next, Apollo sang “Kamikaze” and “Tamagotchi,” returning the energy of the crowd to a high point. Lastly, the artist closed with his hit song, “Evergreen,” that quickly spread through the internet for its brutally honest reflection of heartbreak. Audience members yelled the lyrics, “you didn’t deserve me at all,” from the depths of their souls creating a cathartic and incredibly human moment. Apollo’s performance brought a range of party anthems to heart wrenching ballads which left the crowd wanting more. To no success, the audience cheered for an encore as Apollo left the stage.
Soon enough the lights went up and the stage crew got to work setting up for SZA’s act. The set included one large background screen, a pirate-like ship, and a lifeboat that hung from the ceiling of the arena. The cover of the SOS album depicts SZA sitting on the edge of a diving board overlooking a sparkly blue sea, emulating a famous photo of the late Princess Diana. SZA brought the maritime theme to the forefront by projecting backgrounds of waves and deep ocean scenes.
SZA performed 28 songs total, including hit duets like “All the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar and “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat. Her vocals were on point through the end; unwavering under the pressure of dancing at the same time. Though she played mostly songs from the SOS album, SZA thoughtfully weaved in the Ctrl songs and covers to construct a well-balanced show.
The energy of the crowd was electric as SZA emerged from behind the screen to perform the first song of the night, “Seek and Destroy.” Immediately, backup dancers arrived bringing their all to the theatricality of the show. Shortly after, she followed with three of my favorite songs of the night, “Notice Me,” “Love Galore,” and “Broken Clocks.” The show was broken up into four acts and “Shirt” concluded the first act. SZA’s music never fails to make you want to get up and dance, even when the lyrics are packed with hefty emotions. Her beats and melodies are true to her and recognizable as hers, and the progression of the set definitely reflected that.
Act two began with “Smoking on My Ex Pack,” a short song that still brings enough energy to have the crowd jumping. Listening to the lyrics of this song and others it was clear to see how SZA herself has grown since the release of her first album. The songs on SOS depict a more reflective, mature narrator who still makes mistakes, but is able to recognize them and heal from them. The Act two closer was “Low,” a song that needs to be played on every dancefloor. The upbeat mood of this act became the foil for the emotional tone of the proceeding act.
Act three consisted of some of SZA’s most vocally powerful and emotionally charged songs. She hopped onto a lifeboat and was transported all the way to the top of the arena, singing over the crowd. Though I was more nervous for her safety than anything else, SZA sang each song– “Supermodel,” “Special,” “Nobody Gets Me,” and “Gone Girl,”– with so much love. Looking around the arena, there were many teary eyes during this section. Common themes within these songs are losing yourself in a relationship, wondering if you’ll be enough for those you love, and worrying that you won’t find a partner as good as a past partner after a breakup. The singer threw flower petals from the boat as she serenaded the audience.
Lastly, act four brought back the more fast-paced dancing songs with the album title song “SOS” among others. This section brought back the backup dancers who really put on a show for the audience. Each of the dances reflected the story of the songs in a refreshing way. In the middle of the act, SZA sang her viral song “Kill Bill ” which quickly became the background audio to many women’s TikToks. The screen portrayed a woman fighting back from “the bad guys,” or bad exes, by creating a whole fight scene. The backup dancers were used to portray SZA’s villains as she succeeded in fighting them off. This song was certainly the most visually complex and was so cool to see even from the nosebleeds. The last song of act four was “The Weekend,” arguably one of SZA’s most popular songs from the beginning of her career. The song was a perfect way to bring together old lovers of Ctrl with the new fans who knew more songs from SOS.
After lots of applause, and maybe tears, SZA returned to do one final song as her encore: “Good Days.” This song has resonated with many, like myself, for its message to keep pushing through tough life moments– there are always better days ahead! The screen for this song looked like a sunrise on the horizon and there was a tangible sense of hope in the air. After the song ended, I felt so much joy and was so happy to be in the room where it all happened.
Capital One Arena was full of loud, joyous, and energetic people of all ages. The crowd brought the amazing performances of both Omar Apollo and SZA to the next level. Hopefully SZA will not wait five years in between the release of her next album and come back to D.C. soon!
