LIFT OFF

Beyoncé Samples Britney Spears in Dazzling Renaissance Tour Opener

On the first stop of her world tour in Stockholm, the BeyHive was treated to a visual spectacle and parade of Afro-futuristic set pieces.

From the moment Beyoncé announced the dates for her Renaissance World Tour, the countdown to her first show in Stockholm, Sweden had already begun—not to mention speculation about what the Grammy winner would be singing, wearing and remixing onstage.

Now, the day—or night, if you’re lucky enough to be in Sweden right now—has finally arrived. And the BeyHive is giving Twitter a front row seat to all of the singer's Barbarella-esque costumes, spell-binding stage designs and somewhat surprising setlist.

If you miraculously scored tickets to the tour this summer and are trying your best not to be spoiled, you probably shouldn’t read any further. (Maybe delete all every social-media app off your phone, too, while you’re at it.) But for those of us eager to see the endless amount of footage that will inevitably flood our Twitter feeds over the next week, let’s devour this visual feast!

From the brief snippets concert-goers have posted on Twitter, Beyoncé’s latest tour seems like the ultimate Afro-futuristic, queer—and notably horny—fantasy with campy set pieces like massive robot boobs. At one point, there appears to be a gigantic pair of cyborg legs in the spread-eagle position, revealing a giant portal. Suddenly, I believe in the power of AI!

Let’s start with some of the night’s most eye-catching costumes. Seeing Beyoncé dressed up as a literal bee is like watching a superhero put on a cape for the first time—although, she’s given us some bee-inspired looks in the past. The “Crazy In Love” singer wore a black-and-yellow leotard and a metal headpiece with long, dagger-like antennas while performing “America Has A Problem.” We still don’t know all of the fashion designers Beyoncé has collaborated with for this tour. But the geometrical shape of the bodysuit with the accentuated hips feels reminiscent of her past Theirry Mugler looks.

Whoever the designer is, she looks absolutely stunning (and kind of frightening?) That other Wasp over at Marvel has officially been found dead!

Other standout looks included an elegant, holographic jumpsuit for her opening number, “Dangerously In Love.” Slightly more whimsical was a sleeveless metallic leotard with a mirror on the torso, as if to say I can see the future looking through Beyoncé’s abs. She paired the look with Mary J. Blige-sized thigh-high boots, which feel appropriate given the “I’m Goin’ Down” cover included in the show.

Beyoncé also showed off some of her onstage gadgets when she made a white robe look like a stain-glass window using UV lighting. She also stunned in a gorgeous (again) metallic, tinseled cape while she floated around Friends Arena.

Ultimately, the set pieces seemed to play the biggest role in the show—literally. The scale of the production, including a giant, circular B-stage at the center of the stadium, gives concert goers with nosebleed seats like me hope they can still have an immersive experience.

It seemed like Beyoncé set out to become one with the show’s enormous props, like a doll in a playhouse. (The sheer playfulness of this tour reminds me of Katy Perry’s Las Vegas residency, PLAY). The most mesmerizing of which was oddly the most simple: a giant, rotating seashell in which she performed “Virgo’s Groove.” She also danced between a pair of robot arms during “COZY.” And for “America’s Got A Problem,” she recreated one of the most circulated images from the Renaissance rollout of her behind a news desk with an “On Air” sign.

I’d be remiss not to mention this image of a giant Beyoncé laying naked on her side while an arch covers her midsection. Now I have to spend the rest of my night wondering if she is a fan of Portrait of A Lady On Fire.

Given that the BeyHive has been mostly deprived of visuals for this album, the internet wasn’t exactly geeking over the actual music as much as the overall production. Nevertheless, the setlist included a number of older hits and deep cuts—if those even exist in Beyoncé’s discography—in addition to the tracklist from Renaissance. Some of the more unexpected choices included “Flaws and All” from I Am.. Sasha Fierce, “Rather Die Young” off of 4 and “Lift Off,” her collaboration of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne.

The setlist was noticeably lacking in Lemonade and B’Day tracks. Arguably, most of the songs on Lemonade—aside from “Formation,” which she performs–wouldn’t work with the jubilant vibe of the tour. But not including “World Wide Woman” off of B’Day in a tech-themed show feels like an oversight. She made up for it, though, with a sample of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”

Overall, if watching the tour visuals through grainy cell phone footage was overwhelming, seeing it in person has to be quite the life-altering experience. One can only imagine what additional costumes and song choices Beyoncé might pull out in the coming weeks. However, we haven’t forgotten about those music videos, ma’am!

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Kyndall Cunningham

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