I had been waiting for Kehlani's SweetSexySavage tour to come to Portland since 2015, so it's safe to say I was pumped, and a little nervous. (I always get nervous right before seeing one of my faves live.) After arriving at the Crystal extra early in an attempt to snag seats toward the front, my friend textually informed me that she magically got us upgraded to VIP status(!!). But since we were already there early, we were able to checkout the merchandise situation (SSS lighters and airbrush tees!) and enjoy all the DJs and openers. And when I say “enjoy,” I really mean it.

From the honeyed vocals of singer/rapper JAHKOY to the deep and hearty tones from the London-hailing Ella Mai—who seemed to have a good chunk of her own fanbase in the building—Kehlani’s SweetSexySavage tour is loaded with talented young people. They were so good in fact, that I quickly followed them both on Soundcloud and Twitter, and will be on high alert as I await their return to the PNW.

Right around showtime, the house was packed and buzzing for Kehlani. It suddenly became very apparent that Mami Lani’s presence drew a very diverse crowd of Black and brown folk to come out, which is always a rare treat. Soon enough, DJ Noodles (“baby noods”) took the stage and was met with a roar of applause. She played a couple crucial cuts (“Portland,” by Drake and “Sex with Me,” by Rihanna) before Kehlani made her big entrance to “Keep On,” the first full track on her SSS album.

Wearing an icy silver wig and Jenko-style jeans, the Oakland singer made the audience promise to sing all the words to every song for the rest of the night. But to my surprise, Kehlani only sang 5/10 of the songs I expected her to, instead choosing to sing SSS almost in full.

Now that I think about it, it makes sense why she wouldn’t want to sing the emotional and deeply personal “24/7,” or slow tracks like “Thank You.” Flanked by two gorgeous backup dancers, Kehlani’s set was heavy on the choreography—and I really wouldn’t have it any other way. Also, Kehlani's abs continue to mesmerize me.

I did appreciate when Kehlani took a few minutes to break down why it’s important to not let your self-worth be influenced by the opinions of others on social media, the internet, or the behavior of friends and family members, saying we should build ourselves a “box” of self confidence and awareness that is too small to fit many other factors. An out-and-proud bi-sexual, Kehlani also made a point to shout-out the LGBT community, and refused to even mention the T-word (He Who Must Not Be Named), saying that now more than ever young people need to come together to support one another and build each other up.

And right as this inspirational speech was going down, I was watching a girl get carried from VIP (for being rowdy, rude, and on too many substances), and attempting to fight all five security guards on her way out. It was truly an entertaining evening.

Kehlani ended her set with “CRZY,” the super-hype anthem about feminine badassery, and there was no encore. When the song was over Kehlani announced said she had to get to the SSS after party at Trio. So we headed straight there to end our evening in the presence of Kehlani, Noodles, and Blazers power forward Noah Vonleh. What a night.