Blood Orange Brought ‘Negro Swan’ to Houston

Houstonian Dev Hynes other known as Blood Orange brought a theatrical performance to White Oak Music Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 20th. A huge crowd showed up for Blood Orange ready to vibe out to his soothing voice and talented background singers. White Oak Music Hall did a wonderful job organizing the crowd as they had another show going on the same night. The staff was very helpful and fast in dealing with people’s problems. White Oak Music Hall is one of the best venues in Houston with their helpful staff and their convenient parking.

Blood Orange’s performance was unique in a way where he kept an entire crowd entertained with minimal upbeat songs while compacting two different types of performances into one.  He gave a musical and a theoretical performance — though without any actor. I know it sounds weird but he painted pictures in your head with the dialogue between each song; using it as a bridge to transition into the next song. The choice of colors used for each song helped tell the story of the track or the emotion the song was intended to convey. He started off the show with “Chewing Gum“ and then transitioned into “Orlando“ with a short monologue about “doing the most” and being the best version of ourselves. I overheard a couple talking about how Negro Swan made him feel something, unlike Blood Orange albums, did.

The band stood out with their crisp sound and the fact they were actually visible to the audience. Dev Hynes’s voice was angelic and sounded just like the studio version of the track only with more emotion. The way he sang “Dagenham Dream“ was beautifully done and made you appreciate his voice even more. The merch was the only disappointing part of the concert as it seemed to be lazily done.