SZA marked a memorable return to Aotearoa on Saturday night with the opening show of her SOS tour at Spark Arena. Photo: Supplied / Apurva Bhatt
SZA marked a memorable return to Aotearoa on Saturday night with the opening show of her SOS tour at Spark Arena.
After a six-year wait, fans were delighted with a visual spectacle embodying the essence of SOS: dreamy ocean-themed visuals, dynamic stage design, a massive LED lightbox with moving projections, and a runway leading right out to the crowd.
Many will be familiar with the album art for SOS, as it was inspired by a 1997 image of Princess Diana. In it, SZA is perched on a ledge, looking out at the ocean contemplatively. It immediately invokes a sense of isolation and healing that embodies SZA's sound, and the stage design was perfect in reflecting that.
As SZA arrived on stage to deafening roars, a screen behind her lifted to reveal a ship and invited the crowd to embark on a 90-minute musical voyage. Accompanied by guitarist Ari O'Neal and a host of dancers, she traversed through an impressive catalogue and made full use of a runway that led out to the crowd.
SZA's versatility as an artist, and the strength of her vocal ability, was on full display. She floated through early hits like "Love Galore" and "The Weekend" and belted the emotional "I Hate U" and "All The Stars". She serenaded crowds with "Snooze" and "Good Days".
At one point, she transformed the neo-soul track "Low" into a full-on rock ballad, complete with a thrilling on-stage split and plenty of guitar showmanship from O'Neal. Later on, a sexy dance break featuring knives led into the revenge-fantasy track "Kill Bill", and the show was rounded out by the addicting party track "Rich Baby Daddy".
Apparently the arena couldn't accommodate the aerial stunts she wanted to do, so instead she opted for a runway. It was during more intimate tracks like "Broken Clocks" that SZA would walk out to the crowd and sing directly to fans who could harmonise and match her range. Watching members of the crowd sing every word back at her was intense and profound.
I realised at this moment that it was this very ability to command the stage and connect intimately with her audience that made SZA's show so special. It being a large-scale production didn't matter - fans received special attention throughout.
SZA performs during the 66th Grammy Awards on 4 February 2024. Photo: Getty Images / John Shearer
As credits rolled at the end of the show, SZA even pointed some passionate fans out directly and invited them to meet her backstage, before leaving the crowd with some parting words.
"Y'all are a f***ing vibe", she said. "I love New Zealand, I would move here, this is the most magical place on earth."
I know it's obligatory for visiting artists to pander to our need to be liked, but SZA's words seemed sincere. She's been hiking around Piha and learning about Māori culture, and even donned a pounamu on stage.
It's six years on from her first New Zealand show at the Logan Campbell Centre, and her growth as an artist can't be understated. Since 2018, she's become a Grammy award winner and reached unseen heights thanks to her music's virality on TikTok and streaming platforms.
SZA reflected on her journey best: "I wanted to come back to Auckland so badly, but we couldn't sell out this venue, so we never got to come here. Six years later, we sold it out three times."
SZA has two more Spark Arena performances lined up as part of her SOS tour.