The first dressed-up fans are already on their way to the HSV stadium in the morning. One wears a pink glitter cowboy hat with his bare torso and cowboy pants, which are called chaps. Greetings from the Chippendales! A few hours later, wide-brimmed hats and extravagant wardrobes are everywhere. Most glitter like a well-polished disco ball, silver is the color of the evening, gender is just a construct. Christopher Street Day in Metropolis.
Beyoncé has long been what the Beatles, Michael Jackson or Madonna once were: the epitome and pinnacle of contemporary pop culture. A living work of art that goes far beyond music and takes up major social issues – feminism, diversity or blackness. The current album “Renaissance”, which is the focus of the tour, shows this in an exemplary way. A virtuoso ride through the history of black pop music, in search of a better and fairer future – also and above all for women.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmr8miC83yo
The concert starts early and is divided into eight blocks, the themes of which are introduced in a visually perfect manner on a gigantic screen. The image of a lasciviously stretched out Beyoncé opens the first part, which is dominated by R&B and soul. Dressed in a red robe that looks like a nun’s extremely undersized habit, she first sings the Destiny’s Child ballad, “Dangerously In Love.” The band plays almost hidden in a huge archway, all in glittery silver. The sound is fat and unbelievably perfect! With “River Deep, Mountain High,” Beyonce pays homage to the late Tina Turner, the great idol of self-confident black women.
The “Renaissance” block kicks off with rumbling mega basses and “I’m That Girl” followed by a powerful version of “Cozy”. To “Alien Superstar” futuristic visions flicker across the screen, a dozen dancers – of course completely in silver! – exhausts itself in quicksilver choreographies. At one point, Beyonce is enthroned on a shiny electric vehicle, reminiscent of the Apollo moon missions, and drives it up a long circular ramp through the enthusiastically raving audience. Afrofuturism and female cyborgs also play a big role in the fantastic animations.
The next block starts with a recording of Chuck Roberts’ oft-sampled speech on the importance of black dance music: “In the beginning, there was Jack. And Jack had a groove. And from this groove came the groove of all grooves”. The following tracks work according to exactly this definition: “Cuff It” and “Break My Soul” build bridges from disco to trap “Are you feeling sexy tonite?” asks the singer. The audience screams even louder and spins buttocks and hips. A disco ball with the dimensions of a space capsule hovers above their heads. The costumes and choreographies are constantly changed, three wind instruments (2 w, 1 m) come to the fore for a short solo, two minutes later four backing singers present themselves as a classic girl group.
The last part of the show is preceded by a quote on screen: “Whoever Controls the Media, Controls the Mind”. But Jim Morrison probably meant something different than Beyoncé, who presented herself to the cameras of the fashion press at the Louis Vuitton show in Paris that morning. In any case, the dramatically titled (and fantastic sounding!) “America Has A Problem” does not criticize the system, but deals with gangs, drugs and the longing for love. Nevertheless: amazing concert – in the end Beyoncé hovers over the heads of the audience as a black Madonna. More is not possible!