AUSTIN (KXAN) — SZA made a huge splash as she returned to Austin for her “SOS” tour at Moody Center Thursday night.
The singer is in no need of saving because she’s in control. The mic was all the way on the entire time. The show was full of impressive vocals, entertaining theatrics and pure emotion.
It was only a few months back when the songstress headlined the 2022 Austin City Limits Music Festival. During her ACL set, she gave fans a glimpse of the stage design that fans get to see now on her tour. She’s added some elements to give fans the whole experience.
Fans first see a scene of crashing waves. We see SZA sitting on a diving board hanging over a body of water, a scene that resembles her album cover, which was an ode to a photo of Princess Diana. A silhouette of SZA tosses the mic and jumps into the water. The illusion pays off well.
The set changes are quick and help take fans on a journey that fits perfectly with the theme of the album. SZA also effortlessly jumps genres in Act II going from the disco-esque track “Prom” to punk bop “F2F.” She follows with a chill fan favorite “Drew Barrymore” and jumps back into R&B to end the Act II.
I can’t forget to mention opening act Omar Apollo. He’s the perfect pairing for SZA. The best way to put it, he acted like a sub-headliner to the headliner. Attendees packed in the Moody Center were on their feet and singing along during his entire set and stayed that way until SZA came out.
The SOS tour is one of the most anticipated tours of the year, which caused surging prices after the tour sold out in most cities. Tickets sold out in Austin, and when we checked before the show Thursday, all that was left were resale tickets, and those were not cheap.
SZA lives up to the hype.