By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer
SANTA CLARA —. Hey Mrs. Carter.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter scored a touchdown, showing up and showing out in bringing her highly anticipated Renaissance World Tour to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara August 30. Prior to Wednesday’s concert, Beyoncé was named Honorary Mayor of Santa Clara. Among those in the audience was London Breed, the real mayor of nearby San Francisco. One fan held up a sign changing the name Bay Area to “BeyArea,” earning acknowledgement on a large screen.
Beyoncé asked concert goers to wear silver in honor of Virgo season and her upcoming birthday on September 4. Her fans, dubbed the Beyhive, definitely got the memo and responded as only they can, wearing everything from gliterry hats to silver bikinis with silver fringe.
The Beys followed their queen in belting out songs from her current and past albums, working the stadium into a frenzy with such hits as “Pure/Honey,” “Heated,” “Plastic Off The Sofa,” “Dangerously In Love,” and “Partition.” Many of Beyoncé’s songs have become anthems and others are well on the way to reaching such status. “Cuff It” spawned a dance sensation on Tiktok. “Break My Soul” is part affirmation, part warning and “Run The World” still gets girls of all ages and origins on their feet and ready to get in “Formation.”
She sang them all and more. Beyoncé also served up an Afro-futurism vibe throughout the show. Videotaped scenes of the artist in bold, futuristic costumes were shown between several wardrobe and lighting changes. Toward the end, the “Alien Superstar” singer also brought a spaceship out on stage, before flying across Levi’s Stadium on a giant silver horse, which gave way to a harness that allowed her to fly high above the audience.
In a colony, bees communicate with each other using a “waggle dance.” The energy inside the venue, the waggle if you will, was palpable. You could literally feel the music in your chest.
The Renaissance Tour definitely felt like one folks will be talking about for years to come as music lovers have done with The Jackson’s Victory Tour, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation Tour, Prince’s Purple Rain Tour and more recently, Kendrick Lemar’s Big Steppers Tour.
According to Billboard Boxscore, the 57-show tour is projected to make over $2 billion and add its star to the list of the highest grossing concerts of all time.
Beyoncé is no stranger to selling out arenas. She had fans gratefully sipping her “Lemonade” during the Formation World Tour in 2016. She also co-headlined On The Run (2014) and On the Run II (2018) concerts with her husband Jay-Z. Both rank among the top-grossing concerts of the last decade.
The couple’s oldest daughter, Blue Ivy, is also a crowd favorite appearing during the current tour. While video of the younger Miss Carter’s performing on stage as her mother belts out “My Power,” is widely circulated online, it’s 10 times better to see her live. Watching her come into her own and feel more comfortable on stage has been like seeing a future star formulating before your eyes. The audience was just as proud of the 11-year-old as her mother has been, awarding the “Brown Skin Girl” singer with some of the loudest applause of the night.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour did not disappoint. Official Beys or not, loyal fans eagerly await the queen’s next power move.