By Julia Trudeau
I wanted to start by saying that I have always liked Beyoncé, but I’ve never loved her. I thought she was talented, and I had some of her classic songs downloaded. However, I never considered myself to be a member of the Beyhive, those who practically praised her as a goddess. As dramatic as it sounds, that changed the second she walked on the stage.
The concert began with a subpar set by DJ Khaled. He basically yelled “WE THE BEST MUSIC” and “DJ KHALED” for a half an hour before making his grand exit on what looked like a Razor scooter. Also of note was that he wasn’t even standing behind the DJ booth. In fact, DJ Khaled had his own DJ. It was honestly a bizarre experience that left me wondering how he could have possibly gotten famous.
The one redeeming quality of his set was the fact that he brought out numerous surprise guests. Cameos started with Tyga, who I had already seen in my hometown. He was a pretty average rapper, but definitely got the crowd going with Rack City and Taste. Next up was Ella Mai with Boo’d Up. I wasn’t sure if she was actually singing live, but either way it was a cool experience. After a couple more, the final performer was YG. I will definitely be waiting to see one of his solo concerts because he had the crowd hyped for Bey and Jay after only two songs.
As Beyoncé and Jay Z entered the stage, the crowd went wild. It was honestly a spiritual experience when Bey started singing the chorus of Holy Grail. Jay Z surprised me, as he was extraordinarily talented and played all of his classics along with the highlights from Everything is Love. The background dancers were electric, and there were even some contortionists adding a mysterious element to the show. Beyoncé herself was by far the best performer I’ve ever seen. Her vocals on Resentment were stunning and her costume changes were as iconic as expected.
But the best part of the show was without a doubt the energy between Bey and Jay. They would look at each other adoringly in between sets, making everyone in the audience scream. The entire show was laid out as a movie, with clips of them “on the run” during costume changes. The show closed off with the end of their love story, with the movie screen showing real-life clips of their adorable twins and Blue Ivy. It was like being able to see into their real lives, and it was revolutionary. The hype around these two is absolutely warranted, and I could not recommend this show more as it was a life-changing experience.
Praise my friends for getting us tickets, and as always… Praise Bey.