Chloe x Halle Live At S.O.B.'s: These Kids Are Alright
My adoration for Chloe x Halle has been no secret. I have followed the sister duo since 2012, when making covers of Top 40 hits, via their Youtube channel, was their main form of craft. Since then, they were signed to Parkwood Entertainment. In 2016, they released their 'Sugar Symphony' EP, in 2017 their mixtape titled 'The Two of Us' was quietly released and a year later they released their debut LP titled 'The Kids Are Alright' in March of this year.
With their debut album out of the gate I was waiting for some sort of tour but that announcement never came. Then in the last moment of last week the sisters announced a one-night show in New York City at good ol' S.O.B.'s. The show took place on Thursday, May 31. By the time I was notified by my friend Xander, the show was sold out. Still, I searched for a ticket that was not marked up 300%.
Luckily, I found a ticket and was prepped and ready to be entertained by the sisterly duo. Doors opened at 8 p.m. and the show had a start time of 9 p.m. The girls came out at 9:21pm. They hit the stage in what looked to be custom made IVY Park. Think of it as a more glamorous take on the activewear line as each piece was covered in chromatic sequins. The girls kicked off the show with "Fa La La (Interlude)" before moving into "Fake" and then "Galaxy." I was so hyped as "Fake" and "Galaxy" are my most listened to songs on the album. Below you can see the songs they performed via the setlist:
The sensational siblings performed for thirty minutes and although short in length it was satisfying. Everytime I hear their voices it is like I feel the word organic and all that is associated with it: sweet like raw honey. They even broke out into a little bit of choreography. Upon leaving the stage it was announced that those who purchased merchandise would be able to meet-and-greet them. I was good to go...
While waiting to meet Chloe x Halle a few things happened. I spotted Amandla Stenberg near the stage. She was socializing with a few of her fans and posing it up for photos with them. As that was happening a loud roar occurred and the crowd shifted to one side of the room as a number of camera flashes simultaneously went off. It turns out SZA was in attendance for the entire show. Keeping a low profile she managed to stay incognito until the very end. Once she exited the building I spotted Elaine Welteroth and saw it as my duty to thank her for her Instagram post on Meghan Markle and her being accepted as biracial and not only as black. She replied, "This is the start of a much bigger conversation."
It was time for the meet-and-greet. I had twenty people in front of me but that was a joke compared to the line behind me which wrapped around the venue's interior. When I tell you these Chloe x Halle are a PR's dream, that's an understatement; they are so polished and perfect. One of the sisters' team members spoke how at this point in their career they are like regular girls their age but admitted they are slowly loosening their grip on the girls' images.
They greeted me with their bright and sunny energy and had smiles that could light up any space. I told them how I have been supporting them from the Youtube days, how they kicked off the performance with my favorite songs, congratulating them on being one of the opening acts of Jay-Z's and Beyoncé's On The Run II tour and just singing their praises. They were just extremely mannerly and pleasant. I left S.O.B.'s with a positive impression of the two songbirds.
Last Thursday night was a great time. I will continue to support these musical darlings and I wish them nothing but success. Parkwood is allowing Chloe x Halle to slowly blossom; they are making sure they are being nurtured while becoming musical stars. I look forward to see what their future brings. You can watch their entire performance below, courtesy of Zach Simmons. Below that is the short film for their debut album.