Beyonce's sis impresses

Solange heats up Super Bowl LIVE concert with dazzling neo-soul performance

No doubt, the majority of the crowd was there to see Solange and the space — in a large, converted parking lot — got extremely tight, very quickly before her 9:45 pm set.

Photo by Rob Loud

Houston music fans and those visiting the city for the big game scored a free concert experience Thursday night at Super Bowl LIVE, a festival style space built in Discovery Green, headlined by hometown R&B singer and sister of Beyoncé, Solange.

The Super Bowl cost millions of dollars to host and those dollars were on full display with an impressive, massive stage and video tower nestled right next to the Toyota Center, the downtown skyline behind us. It was also a short walk away from the George R. Brown Convention Center and the NFL Experience interactive showcase.

After battling with traffic (Uber is the way to go), we arrived in time for part of the Robert Glasper Experiment. This five-piece jazz duo set the mood for the evening with low-key and bass heavy grooves. Concentrating on songs from 2016’s ArtScience, the set included a guest appearance by Houston Christian rapper and BET Award winner Lecrae, spitting rhymes over the Herbie Hancock influenced sound.

No doubt, the majority of the crowd was there to see Solange and the space — in a large, converted parking lot — got extremely tight, very quickly before her 9:45 pm set. Several fans told me they were there because of the album, A Seat At The Table, one of the best of 2016. One fan said she had been following the Houston native since her 2012 buzz record, True, having traveled to New Orleans years ago to see her perform.

Kicking off with a melody of “Rise” and "Weary," fronting a band that included two horn players and two dancers alongside a full backing section, Solange immediately made the stage her own, using every inch of the platform to showcase her voice and expertly choreographed dance moves. Unlike her sister’s Top 40 chart-stormers, Solange’s sound is more subdued, layered, neo-soul. A few songs approached what might consider club-worthy, and at points she encouraged the crowd to dance, but for the most part, it was an exercise in sensual groove and melody.

The best response of the night came during her hit “Cranes In The Sky,” Solange hitting each and every high octave this side of Mariah Carey. The follow up tune, “Mad,” offered another dazzling display of lilting vocal trills that proved she wasn’t the only one in the family who could impress behind a microphone. Despite some rumors that he was in town, Lil' Wayne did not make an appearance to contribute to the duet.

Not to forget her Texas roots, Solange remixed the late-Tejano superstar “I Could Fall In Love,” by Selena into a whispery come-on to a would be lover. She then veered “F.U.B.U” into an appearance by H-town rapper Yungstar with several verses from his “Knockin’ Pictures Off da Wall,” gaining approval from many of the fellas in the crowd.

The encore served up her funkiest and most exhilarating spot, the ‘70s R&B throwback of “Don’t Touch My Hair,” with members of her band recalling a New Orleans chorus line fronted by the Temptations. It left the thousands of fans who had waited hours to see her happily streaming towards the exits. Recalling her sister's recent statements in the media, the socially conscious singer gave a shout out to her hometown and left with a poignant message.

“What an honor to grow up in such a great city...and such a diverse city,” she said before the end of the encore. "I want to send some love to my people of color...to my Mexican brothers and sisters...to my Muslim brothers and sisters. I love you and stand in solidarity with you.”

Random glances:

If you want to get a good spot at Friday and Saturday's shows, it’s best to get there very early with a steel bladder. Maneuvering the crowd when the space filled up took the skill and agility of an Olympic gymnast.
Parents, be advised that the Super Bowl LIVE space can fill up fast. If you have small children in strollers, it’s best to hang towards the back or near the main entrance, or you may find yourself navigating your Graco three-wheeler through thousands of bodies.
The CultureMap photographer on assignment saw several instances in which people started pushing and shoving, leading to police having to take action. We’re all there to have fun, let’s try to be respectful of one another.

concerts super-bowl

Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer visits Houston in new Christmas movie Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

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