On Thursday Oct. 26, popular singer and songwriter, Solana Imani Rowe, otherwise known as SZA, held her San Francisco concert at the Chase Center as part of her S.O.S. tour. I bought my tickets back in May and had been filled with excitement and anticipation in the intervening months. After a life-changing concert, it’s safe to say that my expectations were met. 

Walking into the concert was a breeze as we went through security and were in our seats within 10 minutes. The concert was scheduled to start at eight, opening with SZA’s niece, ImaniCarolyn, who goes by stage name Vans!, followed by d4vd, known for his popular songs “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me.”  

I had floor seats, which I believe enhanced the experience because of how close we were to the stage, it made it feel all the more surreal. 

Both performances were amazing and great choices to open for SZA. However, much of the crowd did not know Vans!’s songs because she performed songs from an unreleased album. Similarly, for d4vd, most people only really knew two of his songs. 

After an hour and a half of waiting, SZA eventually came out at around 9:15 p.m. and the crowd went wild. Almost every seat was filled and the energy was through the roof. 

She opened with “Seek and Destroy,” and the stage effects were some of the most incredible things I have seen. The background was the sea, and she was sitting on a ledge, identical to her S.O.S album cover. 

Not only did she sing most songs from her S.O.S album, but other songs such as “Rich Baby Daddy,” “All the Stars” and “Kiss Me More.” What drew the most attention was “Rich Baby Daddy,” which is a part of popular artist Drake’s new album. The crowd screamed, sang and jumped along to the rendition. 

The stage effects, lighting and overall atmosphere added so much to the overall experience and the memorability of the concert. Specifically, SZA sat on a life raft suspended in midair and sailed across the crowd aboard the platform, stopping in different sections and singing to fans in the crowd. My six friends and I were jumping and screaming like crazy when she was right above us, and it seemed as though she looked directly at us. It was an unforgettable moment. 

Seemingly straying away from her energetic and bright theme, she closed the show with “Good Days,” where she sat on the very same plank she opened her concert with, but instead of being surrounded by an ocean, she was in a radiant, eye-catching pink dress backed by the sunrise and sunset. It truly felt like a picture-perfect ending and was surprisingly emotional. 

Even if you did not know all of her songs, the whole concert itself is hard to not enjoy. With it only being my second concert, I don’t have much to compare to, but I can say confidently that a SZA concert is something everyone should experience at least once.