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When we talk about legendary musicians, there are only a few names that fit into the category, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is definitely one of them. After giving us so many albums, too many hits to count, and pop culture moments that live rent-free in my brain, the musical genius is finally on her official Renaissance World Tour, in honour of her latest musical offering, Renaissance, which came out in 2022.
Even though she won’t be touring Africa until 2024, we have been watching the performance in real-time through social media, where clips and videos are circulating, but if you need something a little more concise to prepare yourself for the African leg of her tour next year, then look no further. Here’s what we know about Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour so far.
Opening night
“Where are the visuals, Beyoncé?” seemed to be a question the world was asking when the superstar released the Renaissance album in 2022. Fit with some iconic lyrics and a pivotal moment in queer history, it seemed that the visuals were all that was missing from this perfect equation.
READ: Beyoncémakes history, plus other 2023 Grammy highlights
At the opening night of the Renaissance World Tour at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 10, the queen delivered. In a voiceover by American Ballroom commentator Kevin JZ Prodigy that played during Beyoncé’s song Formation, we hear:
“You’ve asked for the visuals. You’ve called for the queen. But the queen moves at her own pace, b*tch. The queen decides when she wants to give you a f**king taste — so get your fork and your spoon.”
What followed throughout the three-hour set was a series of long-awaited visuals that will hopefully become available to the public very soon.
omg not beyoncé addressing the visuals i’m crying ?? #RenaissanceWorldTourpic.twitter.com/xQ9AkBCp3p
— rasmus (@rasmusbravado) May 10, 2023
The visuals we all needed #Beyonce pic.twitter.com/CyYFA6BuC4
— Brianna Michelle (@QueenBriDC) May 10, 2023
The outfits
Beyoncé isn’t really known as a style icon and that’s okay, but one thing is certain, the mother did not come to play this time. With a series of outfits that show a fashion elevation for the Single Ladies hitmaker, fans and concert attendees were more than impressed with the fashion choices she chose to make.
READ: Sex sells, but leave the Middle East out of it
Among some of her seminal outfits, she wore a dazzling silver leotard that matched perfectly with her dancers, who created brilliant live visuals with the singer.
We all know Beyoncé as the queen bee of her Beyhive, which is what her fans are called. In a nod to her fans, she also sported a bee outfit that she performed her song America Has a Problem in. She also playfully teased news outlets with a fictional news channel called KNTY 4 News.
??Beyoncé pulls out a bee outfit to perform ‘America Has A Problem’ during the #Renaissance World Tour#SaveTheBees #bees #WomenforBee pic.twitter.com/KPqSsuSw4S
— Sheila's Honey & Eatery (@HoneySheilas) May 11, 2023
Beyoncé really gave us every track of Renaissance (in order), classics, a giant Reneigh, a tank, robots, a giant clamshell, a Bee costume, pyrotechnics, ballroom and voguing, new visuals, VOCALS, and she floated over the crowd on a horse! ????#RENAISSANCEWorldTourpic.twitter.com/0RS4rq8Awc
— ???????? (@kingbeyshive) May 11, 2023
Beyoncé is HEATED pic.twitter.com/HZzF2PqhST
— BEY VIBRATIONIST. (@SometimesyouCme) May 13, 2023
Stage design
Beyoncé doesn’t do small, and her set design for the Renaissance World Tour is a perfect example of that.
In line with the visual theme of the Renaissance album, the opening of the show sported a larger-than-life silver horse that was planted firmly in the middle of the makeshift screen, which also doubled as a stage extension where her backup singers and dancers would occasionally perform.
If that wasn’t enough, the moment when Beyoncé hung from the ceiling on another Renaissance silver horse had everybody in the crowd gagged. Everything about the Renaissance World Tour stage is serving futuristic, which is definitely something we can get used to from Queen Bey.
this is really Beyoncé’s greatest stage design yet, i don’t make the rules?????? pic.twitter.com/YKSj0FO6iw
— ?????????????? (@beyoncegarden) May 11, 2023
Had a good time hanging out with my friend (BEYONCE) ?? pic.twitter.com/Je8krjwJWh
— (Pinely) (@Pinelyy) May 11, 2023
My stage design and official stage design of @Beyonce’s TRWT ?? pic.twitter.com/WIY14FAuPU
— A Creem Media (@acreemmedia) May 10, 2023
Featured songs/transitions
The Renaissance opening night was packed with a list of songs from various artists that not only showed that Beyoncé is always seeing what is being posted about her on social media, but also that she is fully determined to represent the LGBTIQA+ community, in honour of her late Uncle Johnny.
READ: Beyoncéushers in a modern Renaissance
Among the list of songs she used as transitions was I Just Wanna Rock by US rapper Lil Uzi Vert, which became a viral hit on TikTok last year, she also used the intro of Love on the Floor by South Korean music group NCT 127 as a transition.
That wasn’t all, she also used some of her own songs to transition into her other songs, which is a move only Beyoncé could pull off. A favourite among the guests being her performance of her song Alien Superstar into her golden classic Sweet Dreams from the 2008 album I Am...Sasha Fierce.
ROCK MOTHERRRRRFJUSIAIDIEIJS pic.twitter.com/vpn2p1kTtk
— matt (@MattNotYancey) May 10, 2023
OMG BEYONCÉ USED LOVE ON THE FLOOR AS A TRANSITION??!:?#%! pic.twitter.com/elFcEb1x7d
— ??? (@flwrgrlpop) May 10, 2023
BEYONCÉ ATE THIS PURE/HONEY TRANSITION SO BAD?????????? #RENAISSANCEtour pic.twitter.com/MJjCsWLEIJ
— ?????????????? (@beyoncegarden) May 10, 2023
Beyoncé is insane for this transition pic.twitter.com/7WnT316jIo
— Rahul Kothari (@rahkothari) May 10, 2023
