29 June 2024 (gig)
01 July 2024
SZA may have arrived fifteen minutes late but it is hard to complain when the singer gave an energy-packed, extravagant performance that had the crowd hooked from beginning to end.
SZA took to the stage of BST Hyde Park by ascending on a podium that was rising above her never-seen-before impressive set that can only be described as a sci-fi, mythical, nature wonderland.
Surrounded by a troupe of dances, she kicked off her 90 minute set with ‘PSA’ and then transitioned seamlessly into ‘Love Galore.’ The setlist consistently went between her newer album ‘SOS’ and her debut album ‘Ctrl’, as she played songs such as ‘Drew Barrymore’,
‘The Weekend’, ‘Kill Bill’, ‘Blind’, and many more as her set came to a staggering 28 songs.
SZA played her popular songs she has collaborated on as well, such as ‘Kiss Me More’ by Doja Cat (which she transitioned into a cover of ‘Kiss’ by Prince), and ‘Rich Baby Daddy’ by Drake, all of which got an overwhelmingly energetic support from the crowd.
There’s no denying that SZA delivered on engaging the crowd. Whilst she didn’t directly address the crowd often, the stunning visuals and equally stunning vocals kept the 65,000 members of the audience entranced by the performance. At one point, the singer even mounted a giant insect and at another, SZA ascended a giant branch that had now been lowered onto the set and let her feet hang over the side as she gave beautiful performances of the slower ‘Nobody Gets Me’ and newest release ‘Saturn.’ The dancers never failed to bring the energy and SZA was not afraid to show off some of her own moves as well, even going as far as doing the splits on stage and dancing with knives before going into her most widely heard song, ‘Kill Bill’!
Those few moments where SZA did address the crowd felt special and exciting. At one point she teased her new album exclaiming to the crowd “New album, you ready?.” And as she left the stage after her encore of “20 Something” she warmingly spoke to the crowd, saying “You’re like my second home. I’ll always come back here. You’re the best crowd. I love you.”
And as the crowds piled out of Hyde Park with a buzzing excitement from the performance we had all just witnessed, it was certain that Hyde Park loved SZA too.
Photo credit: Cassidy Meyers
