Queen B, aka Beyoncé, is currently on her massive world tour titled Renaissance after her most recent Grammy award-winning album. Her highest-grossing tour to date has now played almost all of its 67 shows, in cities like Stockholm, London, East Rutherford, and Los Angeles. As a long-time member of the Beehive, I was beyond excited when my mom surprised me with an end-of-summer girl’s trip to Las Vegas to see Beyonce on Aug. 26. This two-and-a-half hour spectacle of a concert is now one of my favorite events I’ve ever attended, and is a new magnum opus in Beyoncé’s career.
As I do with all the concerts I attend, finding the perfect outfit for this show was a task I completed early on. However, our queen made a post to her Instagram story at the start of Virgo season, August 23, requesting a certain dress code at some of the tour stops: “This tour has been such a joy, and as we approach the last month, my birthday wish is to celebrate with you wearing your most fabulous silver fashions to the shows 8.23-9.22!” Probably one of the most Virgo things she has ever done, and she already has a song called “Virgo’s Groove.” Unfortunately for me, it was already too late for a chrome ensemble, but I reveled in seeing what other fans showed up wearing. Speaking of fans, the atmosphere was bursting with excitement the moment I entered Allegiant Stadium and all the way through the rest of the night, because of just how passionate Beyoncé fans are. After waiting about an hour in the merch line to obtain my “Year of Renaissance” t-shirt (because of course), the show began with the opening act – Beyoncé herself.
In a fashion that only she could pull off, the first 20 minutes or so of the show is old-school Beyoncé in a stunning diamond dress, singing some of her classic hits with just piano accompaniment. “Dangerously in Love,” “Flaws and All,” and “I Care” are where she flexes her other-worldly vocal talent. Unlike any other artist of our time, Beyoncé creates massive energy in a stadium full of people by opening her biggest tour of all time with a collection of R&B ballads, some released 20 years ago. It’s after that set that the audience truly enters the House of Renaissance: a mind-bending celebration of the genre of House music, plus some of Beyoncé’s biggest hits. This is truly a dedication to a genre of music so essential to LGBTQ+ culture, so much so that famous ballroom commentator Kevin JZ Prodigy can be heard narrating throughout the entire set. From start to finish, it is non-stop dancing, visuals, hardcore beats, and costume changes from Queen B.
Some of my favorite moments on the setlist were “Virgo’s Groove,” where Beyonce emerges from a clamshell dressed in a custom Loewe bodysuit, with heavenly vocals to match, and when her oldest daughter Blue Ivy joins her onstage to dance to “My Power” and “Black Parade.” It’s joyous to see the mother-daughter duo on stage together and is evidence that Beyoncé is empowering her children just as much as she empowers her fans. Above all, the Renaissance Tour is reminding people just how important Beyoncé is to the music industry and our culture as a whole. Her impact and talent are unrivaled by anyone else, making her our ultimate “Alien Superstar.”