Even the slightest hint that Beyoncé might be in the house is usually the cue for a bloodthirsty mob scene to break out. But last night at the Bowery Ballroom, she walked in without too much of a fuss because the vast majority of the sold-out crowd was interested only in her sister.
Solange has recently reinvented herself as a demure R&B diva with her fabulous “True” EP, and with the help of two backup singers and a surprisingly minimal four-piece band, she brought it to life wonderfully — and will likely do so again when she returns to the downtown venue next Tuesday.
Her mere arrival was something to behold.
Sporting that familiar mane, a spectacularly patterned blazer-and-pants outfit and, of course, those mesmerizing Knowles looks, Solange looked utterly fabulous.
Musically though, the less-is-more approach is one that she seems to be adopting. It was evident from the outset as she worked past early nerves with a delicate version of “Some Things Never Seem To F–king Work,” before new partner-in-crime Dev Hynes joined the onstage lineup.
Hynes, a British songwriter and producer, has been the driving force behind Solange’s new sound and, during a new-jack-swing-influenced “Don’t Let Me Down,” the pair broke into the kind of charmingly choreographed dance moves that teen girls make up in their bedrooms.
It was a sweet moment, and the first of many mini-dance-offs during the night, that seemed to underline the creative chemistry that these two have struck up, like an innocent and uncorrupted version of Ike and Tina.
Despite her vocal talents, Solange seemed reluctant to belt it out, which could prove frustrating at certain junctures, not least when some of the irritating hipsters in the crowd turn up the volume on their own conversations. But the sultry ballads that made up the first part of the set gradually gave way to much funkier jams.
“Who brought their dancing shoes tonight?” she asked at one point, to a knowing and enthusiastic response. Everyone in the room knew it was only a matter of time before she busted out “Losing You” (one of the finest cuts of the year), and just the very first beat was enough to send the 500-strong sold-out crowd into rapture.
As the 45-minute set concluded, Solange and Hynes showed they had one more gear left as they revisited “Sandcastle Disco” (originally from her uninspired 2010 album “Sol-Angel And The Hadley Street Dreams”) and gave it a muscular makeover. What started as an intimate night in the company of the younger Knowles sister had turned into a dance party, and as a sign of success, there are few more marked than that.
As Beyoncé made a sharp exit, a minor kerfuffle followed her out of the door and into the street, but there’s no doubt that the real limelight lies elsewhere for once. And deservedly so, because after a few false starts, Solange appears to have finally taken off.