FORM Arcosanti 2017 - Friday
photo by Maria Jose Govea

FORM Arcosanti 2017 in pics (Solange, James Blake, Skrillex, Father John Misty, more)

Solange owned FORM. Set to postmodern dance, she and her band grooved in and out of girl group-inflected soul and high-energy funk on Friday night. You might’ve seen those moves during her slightly stiff Saturday Night Live showing in support of A Seat at the Table, her meditation on sadness and blackness and stepping into adulthood knowing precisely who you are, but not necessarily what you’re doing. Here though, the choreography felt natural and not nervous — movement that bopped and threw poses but appreciated subtlety and stillness. It fits the longtime performer’s latest music: soulful and sparing.

But Knowles pulled out older tracks, too, hitting the crowd with the undeniable “Losing You” and “Locked in Closets” from her 2012 EP True. She dug deeper, though, speaking on self-embrace, the importance of group texts (even if participating texters wrongheadedly support your wearing a couture “sleeping bag” to the Met Gala), standing in your early work, and what critics get wrong about her. [Becky Bartkowski for Phoenix New Times]

Hundred Waters‘ fourth annual FORM Arcosanti festival went down this past weekend (May 12-14) in Arizona. This year, Hundred Waters co-curated the lineup with Moses Sumney, and it boasted tons of impressive names like James Blake (playing a solo piano set), Solange, Skrillex, Future Islands, Father John Misty, Deafheaven, Chelsea Wolfe, The Hotelier, HEALTH, How to Dress Well, Julie Byrne, Kelela, KING, Mitski, Mount Eerie, S U R V I V E, Thundercat, Tycho, Bing & Ruth, Weyes Blood, and more. Pictures of all of those sets (and more) are in the gallery above.

photos by Ian Clontz, Jacqueline Verdugo, Jasmine Safaeian, Lucy Sandler, Maria Govea, Tonje Thilesen