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Tinashe made 2024’s first real Song of the Summer threat when her single “Nasty” took over TikTok this past spring. “Nasty” is easily one of her least creatively daring songs, but the people know what she’s got and like what they like. Even with Tinashe’s well-documented career mismanagement, tastemakers—from Britney Spears to Charli XCX, who included Nasty Nashe on her hotly anticipated Brat remix album—have always had her back.
The Roseland Theater, where Sweet Tee performed with Raveena on Friday, Nov. 22, is slightly smaller than the Crystal Ballroom, where she made her Portland stage premiere a decade ago for her debut album, Aquarius. It’s odd that an artist with one of the year’s most unavoidable songs is playing a smaller room at a brighter point in her career, but fan excitement to be closer to their star was palpable nevertheless.
The youngest members of the all-backgrounds audience were grade schoolers in 2014, so the show served as both an introduction and greatest-hits medley for a pop star finally getting her due. Wrapping her set under 90 minutes, Tinashe got nothing but love from Portlanders, who gave their all to match her freak.
One hardly changed element from that 2014 concert was Tinashe’s stage design: a big-box platform, a quartet of dancers (female back then, male now for a one-of-the-boys feel), and alt visuals like coding sequences and anatomic diagrams. Exuding world-class charm and a confidence that was lacking her first time around, Tinashe dusted off featured Kaytranada and Snakehips verses, early hits like “2 On” and “Party Favors,” and newer pulls from her still-unnamed trilogy of concept albums 333, BB/Ang3l and Quantum Baby.
Some songs’ runtimes were shaved down, but none felt shorted. Getting out to the club (or the car) before 10:30 on a Friday night in Old Town felt worth the price of admission.