I knew before attending the concert that I’d be writing about my experience. and there’s no secret that the price of seeing Beyoncé is not cheap, so was it worth it?
I’ll start by saying this is the first tour I’ve kept up with on social media since it began, mainly due to how much I thoroughly enjoyed the album. it was a new sound for Beyoncé but overall refreshing to hear with her flare on it. there was no doubt I was going to see it performed live. consistently seeing the footage made me even more excited to see it live, and it was one of the best concerts if not the best concert I’ve been to.
VISUALS QUEEN
so although this album didn’t come with visuals, she made sure to bring them on tour. the staging visuals really ate because they fit the tour theme so well and made the performances feel even more interactive. it first starts with a screen that is a pride flag before the show starts. It reminds me of those screens when the TV was interrupted by a service announcement. which Renaissance is heavily centered around the ball room and LBGTQ culture, so she is very intentional on how she has shown her support and attention to detail. right before she comes on, the screen goes to this beautiful sky-like background, and she starts off with her slow songs. Every screen really fit the vibes of the songs and theme of her tour.
STAGING/PROPS
she has many different stage props that add visual flare:
robotics for ‘Cozy’
AI machine that turns her outfit a new color
her metallic horse that’s featured on the album cover & the one that she sits on and flies over the crowd
cool news stand setup for ‘America Has A Problem’ - which is a crowd favorite.
huge army tank truck that she rolls out on for Black Parade and Savage Remix
another clip she’s been going viral for is taking the camera during the opening of the song ‘Pure/Honey’. I actually saw Nicki Minaj do something similar on a smaller scale for her Queen Tour. She takes a camera and holds it herself which is projected on the big screen - a cool, fun, & personable aspect. Everything is futuristic and eye-capturing. I felt so inspired because it’s so dope seeing how intricate her creativity is and how we obviously know she’s crafted an amazing creative team. they really crafted visual storytelling in the tour.
MIC CHECK 1-2
the MIC is one! If you want to be floored by some vocals, she is definitely a must-see. being able to sound exactly like your recorded album is such a flex. every note, run, ad-lib, and more is heard. you’ll definitely see why she is named one of the top vocalists because the range she has is spectacular.
even Jill Scott (who was at the show I attended, Chicago Night 2) praised the production and audio. the sounds from the band, the quality of the sound, and every mix played in between breaks were amazing! Her singers also don’t miss a beat - they sing all the background vocals the whole performance which really adds that “album” sound.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Beyonce is a household name, so it’s no shocker that she has fans of all ages - and they were all in attendance. It feels like one big family party when she hits the stage. On top of that, she has hand-picked dancers who vibe well together and come out in the performance. they add even more flare and fun to the experience. the dancers are definitely one of the best elements as well - they have solos and just hype and bring more energy to the overall show. Two of her main dancers on this tour, Amari and Honey, have a fan base of their own and talent out of this world, getting to see them live was a pleasure.
another thing that’s extremely visible is how much fun she is having. Beyoncé has this stigma attached to her that she’s detached from her fans, but to see her interactions in person paints a different picture. It was super cool watching her respond to fan signs while performing. it adds that “connection” fans hope to feel in person. and it’s also fascinating how she can read all that lol
and what says family more than Blue Ivy coming out? I mean the screams and shouts she received were unmatched in person. The crowd was mad hype and the energy is definitely felt on that stage as well. I definitely can say the section where Blue comes out and “My Power”, “Black Parade”, and “Savage” are performed are one of the high-energy moments from the performance to the crowd.
and even in between sets, the music is so good. I loved how she incorporated ‘house music’ into the mixes which she pulled a lot from in her new album. plus Chicago is one of the homes of house music so it was so fitting and you can see everyone across the stadium enjoying the vibes.
“I PULL UP IN THESE CLOTHES, LOOK SO GOOD”
Bey is known for her avant-garde looks and creativity - and she turned it up a notch for the tour. the looks have the internet bussin🐝and what’s crazier is she is still pulling out new looks almost every show. it’s a small captivating way to keep adding to the audience experience.
one of her costumes is a play on a bee. obviously seeing how a bee has been referenced in her brand her whole career it’s very fitting - plus using it in AHAP is a nice twist to saying she’s the Queen Bee and has the fix to the issues. (maybe I’m wrong but whatever lol). pictured above is a new look she came out in while in Detroit, MI. The heel is such a dope detail to her outfit: small but fire.
LUCKILY SHE’S QUEEN
since Bey is loved dearly by her fans, we slightly overlooked her tardiness lol. but seriously, she was pretty late hitting the stage which was annoying - especially since she doesn’t have openers. it would’ve been nice to even have a DJ set being played similar to the ones she has in between sets.
also, the way she has her stage built out is pretty cool but hinders the view at certain parts. but you do have to keep in mind how huge a stadium is - so I definitely think she tries to build a stage that allows her to give everyone a decent view at different parts. sitting on the side isn’t bad but it was hard to see the full screen of visuals sometimes and being closer to the stage did suck when she performed songs in the center, but again, it was amazing for the songs she performed on stage. so it’s something expected for an artist of her caliber.
OVERALL
YES, IT IS WORTH IT! hearing live music that sounds exactly how it feels when you’re at home feels even better in person - on top of that you see someone who is a legend and has the bandwidth to put on a full performance.
it felt like a mix of watching a music video being made and a musical in one. not having visuals/music videos for the album seemed to have given the tour freedom to be more creative in person. the musical arrangements are perfectly mixed and she bridges her old and new songs together so well.
ps: get there late, you’ll be fine ;)