Who Run the World? Why, Beyoncé of course. Diva, business woman, mother and wife – enter Mrs Carter aka Sasha Fierce, aka Bey, aka Queen Bey.
Defying feminist opposition, the ultimate independent woman returns to the stage in her 2013 sold-out world tour, embracing her married name but still proving she’s here to celebrate womanhood.
Opening the first of three performances at the Manchester Arena, Bey appears on stage like a bootylicious superhero to the high-intensity, girl-power anthem Run The World(Girls).
From here on out, Mrs Carter celebrated her power as a woman with a foot-stomping, hair-flipping, booty-shaking performance with her awesome all-female band and voluptuous backing singers, The Mamas.
The only men on stage were dancers, Les Twins – in fact, they might have been the only men in the entire venue.
I’ve not been in the presence of so many women since playing in a ladies netball league, but rather than the competitive cattiness that comes with thrusting so many ladies in one place (unfortunately so) we were all here, in this Beyhive, to dance along with the ultimate girls’ girl.
I had to ask myself what made Beyoncé so appealing to women, apart from the obvious – her beauty, body confidence, ethereal voice, southern charm, I could go on… What was it that made us all so Crazy In Love with her?
As a performer, in just her 31 young years, she is already a veteran and polished show-woman, having amassed a solid directory of hits, she knows how to put on a spectacle of a show and last night was no exception.
Complete with 12 figure-hugging outfits, impressive pyrotechnics, bomb after bomb of glitter and choreography so polished and fast paced not even a heel was out of step, this was another level of fierce.
Big juggernaut hits – Single Ladies, Crazy In Love and Survivor were all belted out effortlessly, alongside head-spinning athletic dance moves that left you feeling breathless.
The rendition of 1+1 has to be a highlight of the evening, though. Bringing the pace down and writhing atop a grand piano in a glittery blue catsuit, Bey seduces the audience even further, not before flying, yes flying, (by highwire) over the adoring mob to a smaller stage in the centre of the crowd.
Jiggling her bingo wings at one point, singing Flaws And All, she unites the adoring crowd further by suggesting she is just like us, she isn’t perfect and she thanks us for seeing past some of her “flaws” and for remaining loyal.
Puncturing the show throughout were snippets of inspiring footage, overlaid with philosophical musings from the lady herself – even the most cynical of people couldn’t help but feel touched by Bey’s messages of girl-power, and she didn’t even have to wear a Union Jack!
The singer has not been shy of controversy recently. There was the Obama inauguration mime scandal, then those unflattering Superbowl pictures her people were supposedly trying to ban – this time though, it was the tour itself.
People were asking whether a fifth album should have been released to coincide with the tour, but this became increasingly irrelevant throughout the show.
Singing some of the biggest hits from her career so far, the tour felt like it was more for us, the fans, than for album sales and money.
After an encore rendition of Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You, it was clear to see what makes Bey the Queen.
She is the full package of bombastic brilliance, a pop star with as much charisma as talent and, to top it off, she is a role model for modern day feminism.
Image courtesy of asterix611, with thanks.
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