Fresh off two dates in San Francisco (June 1-2), Snoh Aalegra brought her “Ugh, These Temporary Highs” tour to Los Angeles Saturday night (June 4). And one fan’s hand-drawn sign sums it all up: “Love U Snoh” with a heart added for emphasis.
From the time Aalegra sashayed onstage until she walked off 70 minutes later, non-stop cheering, screaming, shout-outs (“It’s Snoh-ing!”; “She’s a bad—!”) and dancing ensued inside the packed venue. And in between, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter gave back just as good as she got. No costume changes, no background singers, no dancers. Just Aalegra backed by a tight band.
Dressed in a glittering bra top and matching thigh-length shorts accented by a short, white vinyl jacket and matching, curve-defining chaps — with her hair pulled back into a waist-long ponytail — Aalegra wasted no time in delivering what’s become her signature: music to sway to and feel by. She started the proceedings with an energizing take on “Situationship,” a single from her 2019 sophomore set Ugh, Those Feels Again. Seamless segues into more songs followed, such as “In Your Eyes” from latest album Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies (which earned a 2022 best R&B album Grammy nod) and hit single “Whoa,” which sparked the audience into dance mode.
The power behind her smoky, vulnerable yet hopeful vocals and insightful lyrics was fully displayed during her searing performance of “Lost You” (“I won’t hold the past against you”), also a 2022 Grammy nominee for best R&B performance. Among other crowd-pleasers chosen from the aforementioned albums were “We Don’t Have to Talk About It,” “Dying 4 Your Love” and “Love Like That” (which led into a reflective riff on the Bobby Caldwell classic “What You Won’t Do for Love”), as well as two tracks recorded with Tyler, the Creator: “Neon Peach” and “In the Moment.”
Primarily focusing on the music, Aalegra periodically thanked the audience for “sharing your energy with me.” She also showed her cheeky and contemplative sides. While introducing “Nothing to Me,” she told the audience, “I want to dedicate this next song to a few people. No, not to you. You don’t want this one dedicated to you … it’s to all the f—ers in the world. Are you with me?” Laying the foundation for the song “Violet Skies,” the now-L.A. resident referenced her Swedish upbringing and noted, “I encourage anyone who has a dream or vision to go for that s—. Here’s a letter to my younger self.”
Only when Aalegra returned to chants of “We want Snoh” was she joined by additional singers. A 10-member chorus of females and males dressed in black accompanied her on a rousing two-song encore: “Find Someone Like You” and “I Want You Around.”
Opening for Aalegra Saturday evening were fellow ARTium Recordings roster mates Ogi and Fana Hues. Spotted backstage prior to Aalegra’s show were ARTium head/Grammy-winning producer Dion “No I.D.” Wilson, Teyana Taylor, Vince Staples, Kevin Durant of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and actor/comedian Craig Robinson.
Aalegra wraps her “Ugh, These Temporary Highs” tour Sunday (June 5) with a second show at L.A.’s YouTube Theater. The Live Nation-produced outing launched March 21 in Detroit and visited markets such as Houston, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
