Since Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour began on May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden, it’s become the place to be this summer. And last night, Queen Bey brought the show to New Jersey as she closed out her second consecutive night at MetLife Stadium.
While it’s been one year (sans visuals) since Renaissance dropped, the enthusiasm and love for the album haven’t waned. In the hours before the concert began, thousands of eager fans flooded the stadium wearing outfits inspired by the album—sequined cowboy hats, black bodysuits, leather pants, and no shortage of silver Telfar shopping bags. If you’re into people-watching, the show really starts before she even hits the stage.
Serving as her own opening act, Beyoncé began the show in a new baby pink Georges Hobeika tulle dress with a matching headpiece and performed an amalgamation of her most soulful ballads: “Dangerously in Love,” “Flaws and All,” “1+1,” and “I Care.” And as a woman who loves to reference her idols, she also paid homage to Mary J. Blige and Tina Turner by performing covers of their songs “I’m Going Down” and “River Deep, Mountain High,” respectively. For those unfamiliar with the structure of the show, it was an unexpectedly calm start for an album as maximal as Renaissance. But as soon as the instrumental to its intro song “I’m That Girl” began, all faith was restored.
The main show is divided into sections—Renaissance, Motherboard, Opulence, and Anointed—and Bey performs most of the Renaissance album from top to bottom. (She skipped “Thique” and “All Up In Your Mind,” much to the BeyHive’s chagrin). The audience went particularly crazy for “Cozy” and “Cuff It,” which instantly transformed the show from a concert to a club. By this point, the drinks were flowing and a spicy margarita courtesy of 21 Seeds was my go-to for the remainder of the night.
But the main highlight of the show came about halfway through when her daughter Blue Ivy joined her onstage for “My Power,” a dance break to Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright,” and “Black Parade.” Although she is only 11, Blue’s stage presence is immaculate and the crowd went wild for her. She then ended her set by revealing a jersey that said “New York” on it and threw up the Roc Nation hand sign in honor of her father Jay-Z.
Bey then ran through more Renaissance songs like “Church Girl,” “Plastic off the Sofa,” “Virgo’s Groove,” and “Heated” (a fan favorite). She also performed classics like “Get Me Bodied,” “Crazy in Love,” and “Love on Top,” which the audience impressively sang word-for-word with each escalating key change.
The show ended with Beyoncé sitting atop a bedazzled silver horse (affectionately referred to by fans as Reneigh) as she sang the album’s closing song “Summer Renaissance,” which features a Donna Summer sample.
At the end of the night, as confetti flew in the air while she hovered over the crowd, it became abundantly clear that Beyoncé is the greatest performer of this generation—and perhaps of others, too.
Juliana Ukiomogbe is the Assistant Editor at ELLE. Her work has previously appeared in Interview, i-D, Teen Vogue, Nylon, and more.
