Daniel Boud & Prudence Upton
June 1, 2018, will forever be remembered as the day we saw the supremely talented and stylish Solange completely own the Sydney Opera House stage. The singer’s show was one of the hottest tickets of the VIVID Live calendar—and for a very good reason.
Here are just five of the many things we learnt while taking a seat at the table with Solange.
Solange is at the top of her game
Her third album, A Seat at the Table, is a personal and political masterpiece about the complexities of black womanhood, self-empowerment and healing. Like her record, Solange’s live show was a knockout, complete with mesmerising choreography and a stunning lighting design (the stage was awash in red, blue and then back to red). Beginning with the album-opener “Rise”, Solange’s set-list included her 2016 tracks like “Weary,” the anthem “F.U.B.U” and “Cranes In The Sky” (cue the goose-bumps), plus old favourites such as “Losing You” and “T.O.N.Y.”
Her sister Kelly Rowland is a huge fan
The singer explained that her older sister Kelly, who was also in the audience, was one of her biggest creative supporters. “Should out to my sister Kelly who’s somewhere in the building,” Solange told the crowd. “Kelly is super special because when I was 15 I started writing songs and I would tell anyone who would listen, ‘I wrote this song, I wrote this song,’ and they’d be like, ‘Little girl, go do your homework’. And Kelly actually listened to my songs and the very first songs that I ever wrote professionally were on Kelly’s first album Simply Deep.”
Solange’s dancing is *phenomenal*
Yes, we already knew that (she started her music career as a Destiny’s Child background dancer) but seeing Solange live is a revelation. From her synchronised moves with her band and backing vocalists to her jaw-dropping crumping, it’s safe to say Solange killed it. If you saw her dance with Beyonce at Beychella, you know exactly what we mean.
It’s her first time on stage October 2017
Solange’s Vivid show marked her first performance since late last year; the singer’s battle with an autonomic disorder led to cancelled tour dates and fears of never singing and dancing again. “This is my first time on stage since last October,” Solange explained. “I couldn’t be more honoured to have this breakthrough with you tonight – it means so much to me.”
It’s impossible to stay in your seat
Just a few songs in, Solange called for the crowd to get out of their seats and dance, and we didn’t sit down until the end. “This is the best f*cking thing ever,” Solange gushed. We couldn’t agree more.
Solange performs at VIVID Live from June 1-4.
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