Beyoncé's Rennaissance World Tour is arguably the most spectacular concert tour ever undertaken by any entertainer. Inarguably, the bar has been raised, and any usurpers to Queen Bey’s throne would have to possess her arsenal of vocal and dance abilities, beauty, discipline, stamina, sensuality, vision, design aesthetics, fashion sense, business savvy and complete command of the stage, let alone her universe.
Her empowerment energy electrifies the air. No one else is likely to come close to having as fervent a following for a generation. There’s only room for one Madonna-level superstar at a time, and Beyoncé’s time is now. Demand for tickets for the initial dates in North America and Europe caused systems to crash and led to the scheduling of additional dates.
Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. Rather than sprinkle a few new songs among two-and-a-half hours of greatest hits, she performs Renaissance practically in its entirety interspersed with catalog cuts during a marathon multiact, multithemed musical marvel. The show is divided into acts with Beyoncé’s ensembles thematically in sync with set designs by London-based Stufish (U2 and Rolling Stones, among others).
Beyoncé’s artistic development has been public and prolific. Her critically acclaimed 2016 release Lemonade was conceived as a visual album, an approach she applied to her 2020 Disney+ project Black Is King. Her Lion King-inspired tribute to African heritage and black empowerment was like her post-graduate work after her triumphant homage to the drum corps culture of historically black universities at Coachella in 2017, where she demonstrated she had the sensibilities of an A-list Broadway producer.
With Renaissance, she raised the bar even further. Dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community, as is the tour, it’s an odyssey of dancefloor music with strong flavors of deep house in cuts like No. 1 single “Break My Soul.” Beyoncé possesses a powerhouse upper register and a mastery of melisma, but the warmth of her vocals when she inhabits her lower register elevates Renaissance to a transcendent sonic experience.
Her first solo tour in six years would have to be majestic and monumental. Rehearsals were held in a French stadium before the first show on May 10 in Stockholm. She oversees a small army as director and producer, and her BeyGOOD philanthropic initiative benefits marginalized and underserved communities surrounding every tour stop, as well as scholarship funds to the tune of $1 million.
Having Tiffany & Co. on board as the tour’s official jeweler enables Beyoncé to add further bedazzlement to a dazzling wardrobe curated by stylist Shiona Turini. From custom Alexander McQueen couture to a dress by Japan’s Anrealage that is color-responsive to UV light, Beyonce’s Renaissance fashions have been and are being well-documented on Instagram. And it’s no secret that she rides a sparkly steed inspired by the glass horse on the Renaissance album cover during one of many climactic points in the show. She makes it all look effortless. It’s not. Beyoncé is peaking right now, artistically and physically. The only place to go next is in a minimalist, intimate direction. For now, in the moment, Queen Bey is busy making history.
7 p.m. Aug. 26-27, starting at $178 plus tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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