An hours-long torrential downpour didn’t sour the mood of the casually dressed 20- and 30-somethings who came to see Tinashe on Friday night at the Aragon Ballroom. Long lines and the venue’s notoriously messy security protocols meant many fans were stuck outside as Tinashe took the stage around 9 p.m.
But they were soon in the venue and, after shedding their raincoats and jackets, were transported to a tightly constructed, visually sumptuous hour-long set. Tinashe blended contemporary viral hits and fan favorites with her earliest breakthrough tracks like “2 On” and “All Hands on Deck” for a vivacious show that felt reminiscent of a DJ set, a music video and dance party.
Surprisingly, the simplicity of the stage setup elevated the show from “good” to “compelling.”
After years of failed starts signed to a major label, Tinashe returned to her independent and underground roots in 2019. While this may limit the size of her visual productions, it does not dampen the scale of her ideas and ambition. The “Match My Freak” tour is a feat of creativity and vision.
On stage was a long, simple white bench and a massive white backdrop that served as a set piece. Carefully placed lights helped turn the setting into a grand spectacle of Tinashe’s world. Tinashe and her four male background dancers bounced between standing and rolling around the bench and stage.
During “The Worst in Me” and “Save Room for Us,” the singer and her dancers occasionally sat on the bench while performing choreography to match the downtempo, R&B-leaning rhythms of each song.
“Red Flags” was more straightforward — just a girl and her mic stand. A camera projected a super close-up shot of just the singer’s face while she sang about toxic relationship patterns.
Visual effects displayed across the backdrop and bench during other songs made the set appear five times larger than the Aragon’s humble stage setup. This turned the small-scale music venue into the arena Tinashe deserves to play in. Some backdrops were throwback clips to old Tinashe videos, while others were abstract interpretations of lyrics (like a slow gush of water before she performed “Thirsty”).
It was all so great and fun that it made me want more.
But the “Match My Freak” world tour felt, at times, designed to get audiences in and out of the venue. Tinashe has released seven albums and four mixtapes over the past decade, demonstrating a rich body of work she can mine for live performances. Yet during the set, she hardly lingered and instead sped through tracks, like when “All Hands on Deck” quickly transitioned into “2 On.” Audiences devoured both tracks, with Tinashe encouraging the crowd to sing along to the latter. But they felt over before they began.
“All My Friends,” a collaboration with the British electronic duo Snakehips, didn’t really feature the singer in person at all, and instead was accompanied by vertical video clips of Tinashe rehearsing, performing and hanging out with people in her life. It was a sweet sentiment but not entirely effective.
This is just a minor gripe and one that didn’t seem to bother fans in the crowd. A woman in front busted out a fully choreographed dance while Tinashe performed 2016’s “Party Favors” off her cult-favorite record, “Nightride.”
“This is for my day ones,” Tinashe said to enthusiastic cheers. For many in the room, they waited years to see her live. And no rain or abrupt setlist could ruin their mood.
As she closed out her show, she jumped into two fan favorites. “No Broke Boys” turned into a full-out singalong (or maybe shout-a-long) for the crowd. The 2024 track from her latest album, “Quantum Baby,” has become an anthem for chic and playful young listeners who know who they are and aren’t afraid to show it.
For “Nasty,” the last song of the night, she offered two versions, both the “Match My Chic” remix and the original. As Tinashe writhed, jumped and danced around the room, her fans did the same, albeit on the dance floor. The song is more than just a viral sensation. It is a coltish call to arms, encouraging pleasure and sensuality in especially dour times. It is Tinashe, embodied. If Friday night is any indication, the fun was felt.
Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
