House of Music

SZA / Omar Apollo

Oakland Arena

Oakland, CA

March 14th, 2023

Photos and Review by Alexander Andrade

SZA’s second major show in the Bay Area took place at sold out Oakland Arena. Her first appearance in the Bay Area was as the headlining act at the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, in August 2022.

Omar Apollo delivered an impressive performance, showcasing his powerful vocals while standing still behind his microphone stand. During a mellow soul song, he sang softly and made heart symbols with his hands to fans in the front row. The audience erupted with screams at the sound of the opening guitar notes and enthusiastically sang along to the upbeat rock number “Invincible.” They also demonstrated their admiration for his new song “3 Boys,” a slow dance track that featured falsetto vocals.

The artist kept his movements minimal, allowing the music to take center stage. He performed “Kamikaze” and the soulful “Want U Around” before concluding with “Evergreen.” During the song “Evergreen”, the crowd’s enthusiastic singing of the chorus nearly overpowered Apollo’s performance.

As the show began at 9:45 PM, fans were presented with an image of a vast body of water displayed on a video screen. This screen was then elevated to unveil the evening’s star, who was seated on a diving board or plank similar to the one on the “SOS” album cover. SZA performed “PSA,” one of the bonus tracks from the expanded edition of “SOS.” The screen was then lowered once again, allowing for a video display of SZA’s silhouette as she dived into the water.

Afterwards, SZA emerged in a dock setting near the sea, dancing alongside four other performers, while musicians played from both sides of the stage. The music was great, allowing SZA to deliver a convincing live rendition of her studio hits.

She maintained a lively pace, performing over two dozen songs during the next 90 minutes or so, with main focus on “SOS” and also featuring a substantial selection from her debut album, 2017’s “Ctrl” along with others.

One of the best parts of the show was when SZA boarded a dinghy, which was then raised above the audience by cables. From above, she performed three of the night’s most memorable songs, “Special,” “Gone Girl,” and “Nobody Gets Me,” which she delivered with tremendous emotional depth and tenderness. The show also included a lengthy segment featuring a full sized ship on stage.

After performing from above the arena, SZA was lowered back onto the stage, which had been transformed into an aquarium themed underwater environment. She then showed off rap skills on the title track of “SOS” and performed fan favorites such as “Kill Bill” and “I Hate U” before concluding the main set.

For her encore, SZA returned to the stage, completing the show’s circle as she reappeared on the “SOS” diving board. She then concluded the exceptional concert with a performance of “Good Days.”