At Glastonbury 2024, SZA made history as the first black woman to headline the festival since Beyoncé in 2011. Despite the announcement met with criticism on social media, the avant-garde R&B artist proved her commercial impact in the UK with four sold-out O2 Arena shows last summer and a Wireless headline slot the year prior, and her streaming stats showed she overwhelmingly appeals to a Gen Z audience.
Looking resplendent in a sea-green dress and iridescent fairy wings, SZA appeared a shy half-presence at the Pyramid Stage, perhaps accentuated by the outside noise surrounding this very performance. The blink-and-you-miss-it moment was significant, revealing SZA’s palpable nerves. When she broke through with 2017’s ‘Ctrl’ LP, SZA was a shy and infrequent performer, cancelling dates on a whim while staying glued conscientiously to the idea of early retirement.
Onstage at Glastonbury, SZA appeared sparky and charismatic with choreography executed with intensity and a striking dynamism. She attacked ad-libs with vigour, performing with katanas during “Kill Bill” and launching into the splits before “Low.” Her setlist included an emboldening funky Prince interpolation in “Kiss Me More” and a moving “Normal Girl” that displayed the progressive Pride flag.
Despite suffering microphone and reverb issues, the small turnout for the headliner was hypnotic and potent, allowing young women to share recognition and understanding with strangers while singing along to songs centred on overcoming toxic romances and self-esteem battles. During the set, SZA exclaimed, “This is for my day ones only,” as she introduced “20 Something” to screams from the front section of the crowd. Their unwavering devotion was the only response that mattered.
SZA’s Glastonbury setlist included “Love Galore,” “Broken Clocks,” “All The Stars,” “Prom,” “Garden (Say It Like Dat),” “Drew Barrymore,” “F2F,” “Forgiveless,” “Ghost In The Machine,” “Blind,” “Shirt,” “I Hate U,” “Snooze,” “Supermodel,” “Special,” “Open Arms,” “Nobody Gets Me,” “Saturn,” “Rich Baby Daddy,” “The Weekend,” “Good Days,” and “20 Something.
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