I am all for a good slow jam, but you have to be in the right kind of mood for a set of mostly down-tempo songs, and after The Haxan Cloak, I was not in that mood. However, SZA and her band killed it; her sexy but bubbly stage presence was perfect for Pitchfork (she even took requests!) and she has a killer range (when she goes low, she sounds phenomenal). Her band is tight, not delivering a note-by-note re-creation of her hybrid ambient/r&b sound, but a groove-drenched translation that worked well live. The crowd seemed amped for it; but they probably didn’t see Haxan Cloak, and were in a better mood than I was. (Keidra Chaney)
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