Beyoncé might be known as Queen Bey, but at the first North American stop of her “Renaissance World Tour” in Toronto on Saturday, July 8th, she was one of us, albeit with an exceptional voice and more Grammys than anyone else on the planet. But she displayed a warmth and true appreciation for being on the stage and performing for the sold-out crowd of 49,000.
Incredibly, the 41-year-old singer, songwriter, producer, and dancer was able to make the massive stadium Rogers Centre actually seem intimate, as she put on a dazzling two-and-a-half hour show for the first of two sold-out nights. That had to do with a stage-length LED screen that projected Beyoncé’s image with such immensity and clarity that it was as if everyone had a front-row seat. There was no pixel to be seen; it was astoundingly perfect. She was right there.
The spectacle began with a little pre-show warm-up from the crowd itself. Walking in and around the venue, there were people of all genders dressed for the dance party of the year, many in disco-ball cowboy hats like the one Etsy’s Abby Misbin made Beyoncé for the “Renaissance Tour” advertisement, plus lots of sequins, sparkles, tassels, short-shorts, stylish cowboy boots, and more sequins.
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And instead of ignoring fellow fans as they lined up for merch or a drink or went to find their seats, there was plenty of arm taps with “I love your outfit” and “You look fabulous” — and lots and lots of posing for photographs and selfies.
It was just an all-round happy vibe, a kind of bey-longing or immediate membership into the Club of Bey — or “Club Renaissance,” as the Beyoncé camp for this tour calls it.
As people filed in the dome, the giant screen displayed the color bars of the Progress Pride flag.
The concert then started with a picture of a blue but cloudy sky and then her name BEYONCÉ rising up, as small squares simultaneously disappear to reveal some skin. It took a minute, one or two squares at a time, to eventually reveal a photo of the singer, lying naked (with strategically placed glitter star-shaped pasties) in a pair of heels then the announcement: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Beyoncé.”
She emerged, looking absolutely stunning in a simple chainmail sleeveless minidress, singing the Destiny’s Child ballad “Dangerously In Love,” and taking a moment to really belt out the words, reminding us off the top of her innate three-and-a-half octave ability.
“Welcome. How’re y’all doin’?” she said, the Texan in her coming through, then thanking everyone for their love and support throughout her career. “I feel so grateful to be standing here…I’ve been able to do what I love since I was 15, in Destiny’s Child,” she said, a seamless intro after kicking off the evening with the 22-year-old song from her former group’s Survivor album.
The show, which debuted in Stockholm, Sweden on May 10th and currently runs through October 1st (get tickets here), features tracks from her 2022 Renaissance dance album performed in order, but interspersed with other hits and bits and snippets and interpolations.
The 30-plus song setlist is divided into acts: the Opening Act, then Act 1: Welcome to the Renaissance; Act II: Motherboard; Act III: Opulence; Act IV: Anointed; Act. V: Anointed pt. 2; and Act VI: Mind Control – plus the one-song encore.
All come with a brief minutes-long break, introductory video, new theme and, of course, an outfit change from a floor-length red ensemble to a camouflage bodysuit and matching thigh-high boots to a sparkly bodysuit adorned with black-gloved arms (complete with the hand and long red nails) covering her intimate areas and one on each lower leg.
The stage layout filled a good portion of the center floor, a side-to-side main stage from which a ramp leads straight out to the centre through an additional sizeable circle, ensuring the splurgers in those prime seats felt every penny was worth it and the ones who just wanted to be her presence anywhere in the stadium, even in the rafters, didn’t feel like they were watching a thumbnail.
There were also various super-pricey options, in, around and even on risers, as close-as-can-Bey general admission options with package or section names like “Bad Bitches,” “Money Bitches,” “Pure/Honey Riser,” “Beyhive,” Alien Superstar Riser” and “Club Renaissance.” They were almost part of the action.
Mega props included a tank, which she rode (while singing) out to the secondary stage; a clam shell from which she sang; and robotic fans (some fans brought fans too). She also flew above the stage, but more on that later. Her full band – including a horn section and backup singers — also filled out the stage and were exceptional, as well as the dance troupe, the best of the best, some even able to spotlight their acrobatics and agility.
The opening numbers also featured “Flaws and All,” “1+1”, “I Care,” and two covers, “I’m Going Down” by 70s’ soul group Rose Royce and “River Deep, Mountain High,” a Phil Spector production written in 1966 for Ike and Tina. The house lights were quite bright, allowing Beyoncé to really soak in the crowd and remark on someone’s birthday, as well as a fan who had seen her perform 66 times.
This more subdued segment was just the aperitif. The party then got started with the next act, the futuristic robot-themed Renaissance, and “I’m That Girl,” the opening song from her first album since 2016’s Lemonade.
The dance stuff was what the audience wanted, to be on their feet, moving and grooving, singing/rapping/shouting every word, rejoicing together, the pandemic a distant memory. Songs from the lengthy set included “Cozy;” “Lift Off,” the Kayne West collab wit her hubby Jay-Z, on which she is featured; “Cuff It,” “Break My Soul,” “Diva,” “Run The World (Girls)” “Black Parade,” the singalong “Love On Top,” pumping “Crazy In Love,” “Virgo’s Groove” and “America Has A Problem.”
She ended the night with “Summer Renaissance,” dangling above the crowd, the other-worldly Bey-ing, just as it had begun on-screen with the clouds, an explosion of glitter showering the crowd. As if they needed more glitter…of course they did.
And tonight, she’ll do it all again.
Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour” continues Sunday night in Toronto, before heading into the US for a show at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on July 13th. Tickets for the night one dropped in price minutes from showtime, the cheapest at $358 Canadian dollars (USD $194) for 200 level and floors, and, as of Sunday morning, 500 level could be had for $232 (USD $175), a far cry from the upper hundreds or even thousands that resellers were first asking.