He’s been excited for days; tonight it’s finally time, then superfan Syfan Michael from Bovenkarspel will see his great idol Beyoncé again. The world star will give a concert in the Johan Cruijff Arena today and tomorrow. Syfan adores her: “The person she is, I would like to be too.”
“She knows what she wants and she achieves it. I think that’s great. I would like to be like her in that,” says Syfan enthusiastically. He is running out of superlatives. “She’s so positive and powerful. She’s an inspiration to people.”
The inspiring effect of the singer has also helped Syfan a lot in the past. “I’ve had quite a tough period in my life,” he says. “I don’t want to say too much about that, but it’s about who you are and what you stand for. Beyoncé stands for human rights, equality and going for what you believe in. And that is also reflected in her lyrics. I have felt a lot of support.”
‘I immediately thought it was great music’
The 24-year-old Syfan has been a fan since he was nine: “I discovered Beyoncé when I was with a friend. Her mother had set it up. I immediately thought it was great music. I wanted to know everything about it and started playing it myself. That always stayed that way.”
This will be Beyoncé’s Syfan’s fourth concert. “I really had to be there and I have a seat close to the stage! No ticket was not an option. I literally sat down with four laptops and a couple of phones ready to make sure I intervened with the online ticket sales.”
The superfan had to dig deep into his pockets for that beautiful place near the podium. “It cost me more than 800 euros, but then you do get a goodie bag!”
meeting Beyoncé
Syfan’s ultimate dream is of course to meet Beyoncé one day, although he doesn’t consider that chance very great. “That would of course be great, but I wouldn’t really know how that would happen. I had hoped it could be done at a ‘meet and greet’, but unfortunately she no longer does.”
Tonight there will be plenty of singing in the Johan Cruijff Arena, but Syfan will continue to do so after the concert. Syfan is also a singer herself: “I mainly cover her songs, of course, although I have to practice a lot for that. It’s not really easy to sing her songs, that doesn’t always go well. But it’s a lot of fun to do.”