Seraphina Lotkhamnga on February 9th, 2013

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Even when the crowd screamed and pointed at the balcony when Beyoncé and Jay-Z took their seats, Solange wasn’t going to let anybody steal her thunder on Thursday night at the House of Blues. With her Super Bowl superstar sister looking on, the 26-year-old soul singer, who’s battled her way through label drama to find her indie-friendly sound, proved she’s got the chops to command a crowd with her laid-back, throwback vibe (and old-school dance moves).

• ||| Photos by Kelsey Heng

Coming through town during Grammy week in support of her latest release, “True,” the younger Knowles stepped out on stage wearing a suit that could have come out of Mick Jagger’s closet. It was far from an outfit Beyoncé, Kelly or Michelle would have worn, but Solange wasn’t about the glitz and glamour. Instead, her own groove took precedence as she launched into songs like “Some Things Never Seem to F–king Work” and “Don’t Let Me Down.” Her ’80s-leaning R&B went over well, especially when accompanied by tandem choreography with bass player Devonté “Dev” Hynes (Blood Orange, Lightspeed Champion), who also co-wrote and co-produced the EP with her.

But it wasn’t all about the fancy footwork (although the entire, sold-out house went wild when there was more dancing). Solange’s long climb to prominence didn’t come without paying respect to the past parts of her journey. “I seriously have the best f–king luck in the world to be here with you guys,” she said. “Now how many of you been rocking with me since my last album?”

And with that, Solange went back in time when she and her band (which also included Chairlift’s Patrick Wimberly on drums) slipped in to “T.O.N.Y.,” off of her 2008 album “SoL-Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams.” The funk tune was named after someone who “wasn’t just some regular guy,” but could also have made jack swing pioneers Tony! Toni! Toné! proud.

The night continued to be one retro-heavy dance party, as Solange performed more songs off “True” such as “Locked in the Closet” and “Lovers in the Parking Lot.” However, something special happened when her quiet groove of “Bad Girls” segued in to a cover of Selena’s “I Could Fall in Love” earlier in the night. It was a big sing-a-long moment, but Solange’s no-frill vocal stylings shone during the cover.

Of course, the best was saved for last. As the beats for “Losing You” kicked in, hands were thrown up, cheerful shouts spread throughout the venue and the crowd simply lost it. “L.A., I want you to dance with us,”  Solange requested with a smile on her face, and there wasn’t one person who didn’t oblige. Table tops were danced upon. Security guards were scurrying. For such mournful  lyrics – “Tell me the truth boy / Am I losing you for good / We used to kiss all night / But now there’s just no use” – there could hardly have been more excitement. A short and sweet encore followed with “Sandcastle Disco,” a perfect ending to a triumphant night.

R&B and hip hop artist Jhene Aiko opened.