Solange is on the right. (Photo by Rachel Kurzius)
Solange gave an enchanting performance at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall that proved she’s no one’s second fiddle.
Bey may be the Queen; after all she managed to turn America’s biggest spectacle—the Super Bowl—into a Beyoncé commercial, but her younger sister is quietly carving out an increasingly compelling space for herself in popular culture.
The iconoclastic Sun Ra Arkestra, under the direction of the 93-year old Marshall Allen, began the evening, which was dubbed “Orion’s Rise.”
After the Arkestra completed its set with its anthem “Space Is The Place,” the white curtain behind the band dropped to reveal a stage set that only opera productions eclipse at the Kennedy Center. A huge white orb topped a large white staircase that was flanked with two white pyramids as recorded avant-garde sounds echoed through the hall.
The band made its entrance in stages. First, a group of a dozen or so horn players, there mostly for show, took their positions at the top of the stairs. The core six piece band, along with two backing vocalists, took their places one at a time before Solange herself made a triumphant appearance from the top of the stairs.
Like the set itself, the entire ensemble was clothed in a resplendent white. The lighting scheme leaned on the color red through most of the show, creating a striking visual.
The tight, 75-minute set drew heavily from Solange’s 2016 masterpiece, A Seat At The Table. The music began with the vocalists singing the close harmonies in “Rise,” the album’s opening track, with “Weary” and the hit “Cranes In The Sky” following.
The vocalists and band members performed choreographed movements throughout the night, but not the type of athletic dance moves that one would expect at a Janet Jackson concert or from Solange’s sister. The entire presentation had a subtlety to it that made it all the more captivating, although Solange wasn’t above the occasional twerk during the upbeat numbers, always to rapturous applause.
Other songs from A Seat At The Table included “F.U.B.U.,” “Mad,” and “Borderline” (An Ode to Self Care).” Solange departed from the latest recording to revisit some of her older material like “T.O.N.Y.”, off of 2008’s Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. An energetic rendition of “Losing You” off her 2012 record, True, brought the audience to its feet when we obliged Solange’s direction that “everybody f*ckin’ dance!”
Solange may have felt a bit distant if not for the moments where she addressed the audience directly. Showing gratitude for the opportunity to perform at “the motherf*ckin’ Kennedy Center,” as well as to an audience that “feels like family,” she brought a warmth to the proceedings that endeared her to the diverse sold-out crowd.
The house lights came on after a short encore made up of “Don’t Touch My Hair” and a reprise of “Rise.” As the hall emptied, it was clear that this concert would go down as one of those “I saw her when…” moments.
