Where do I even start with Beyoncé’s The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour? Maybe with the impeccably designed stage outfits? Or the insanely gorgeous interlude videos? Maybe her cast of female musicians that kept the whole stadium grooving (and flailing around wildly). Perhaps the setlist that covered the span of Beyoncé’s stunning career. I think I’ll start with that.
As the lights dimmed and fans in the sold out Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee began a roaring cheer, the energy in the arena was electric. It’s a Beyoncé concert. How could you not scream until you almost fainted? The show opened with “Run The World (Girls),” and from then on, it was an outrageous ride of girl power, elegance and supreme entertainment from the musicians, the dancers, and, of course, the powerhouse vocals from Beyoncé.
Nothing slowed the show down as the energy kept humming throughout each performance. She meshed The Verge’s “Bittersweet Symphony” with her classic “If I Were A Boy,” creating a whole new experience and sadness to the song before an interlude showing Beyoncé don a crown and royal specter. She is Queen Bey after all.
Every song seemed to seamlessly intertwine with each other. “Get Me Bodied” merged into “Baby Boy” which then “Diva” took over. Everyone relived the early 2006 with jams like “Freakum Dress” and “Naughty Girl” from her iconic album B’Day.
Between each set, dancers performed along with videos with striking visuals that blurred the lines of reality, especially during Beyoncé’s performance of “1+1.” A lone dancer appeared on stage to join Beyoncé as she ripped into the heartbreaking slow jam, but it turns out it was just a visual in the video.
As everyone acquired the sniffles and wiped away the inevitable tears from the performance, Beyoncé flew across the arena like a guardian angel coming to protect all the sad children to the “Bey Stage,” and that’s where she had the chance to interact with the audience.
Starting with “Irreplaceable,” the crowd joined along with the memorable line, “To the left, to the left.” She placed the microphone in audience member’s faces and asked them to join along even though most were in too much shock. Understandable.
And then the climax of the show happened as Beyoncé began to sing “Love on Top.” The crowd went absolutely insane as the synth rhythms for “Survivor,” but what really set the crowd on fire was the trumpet blares and drum thuds for “Crazy In Love,” the song that jumpstarted Beyoncé’s solo career.
After gliding back to the main stage, beautifully of course, she performed “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” and her new song “Grown Woman” with tribal-inspired choreography.
Then, the arena blacked out for the encore as Beyoncé said, “A moment of silence for Trayvon Martin,” as hours earlier, George Zimmerman had been proven not guilty. The crowd obeyed as she began to sing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” It was a special moment amidst the verdict, and Beyoncé put every emotion she had into the cover as it segued into her final song of the night, “Halo.”
With over 20 Beyoncé songs to sing and dance along too, I could barely walk out the arena because of how exhausted I was. My knees were shaking and my flannel shirt was drenched (I was in Nashville, after all). But then I thought about how Beyoncé was flitting across in stage in high heels, belting out notes in perfect pitch, and she still performed flawlessly without showing a sign of fatigue. Every note she sang had life and soul, correlating effortlessly with the choreography and instrumentals. The Bey Hive buzzed the entire night, song after song, and Beyoncé proved once again why she is the greatest performer alive.
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