A beauty adorned in pearls.
Houston native, Beyoncé, emerges from a trap door at center stage. Dressed from head-to-toe in Balmain, the star captures the eyes of all 50,000 fans in the arena not only with her polka-dotted gown but with her world-renowned vocals. Starting off strong, Beyoncé performs one of her several hit songs, “Dangerously in Love.” In comparison to the rest of her setlist, the powerfully emotional R&B ballad seems like only a warm-up for the incredibly hypnotizing performances to come.
On July 29th, 2022, Beyoncé released her seventh studio album titled “Renaissance.” Almost a year and a half later, she announced her Renaissance World Tour, soon followed by a documentary showcasing the film. Within the first few days of its premiere, the Renaissance film made roughly 21 million dollars as it opened in theaters around the world.
As many fans of the world-renowned artist arrived at their movie seats in their crystal horse t-shirts and “alien superstar” merchandise, they eagerly waited to watch a film that would soon change their lives.
And indeed, it was life-changing.
The film evoked goosebumps throughout the entire theater. There were moments of unison silence and laughter, moments where the theater would erupt in cheers for their favorite performances, as well as applaud the inspiring stories that were documented. The documentary included the slightest details that truly made a difference in each second of the concert. Beyoncé highlighted the efforts of every person that was able to make each performance possible. There were extended segments of everything from the construction team for the concert stages to the origin stories of her dancers and singers.
So is it really worth going to see?
The answer is yes. With the showing of each opening and closing performance, you feel like you were there watching the queen herself. You are able to share those mesmerizing hours with those around you and feel the same excitement as if you were seeing the concert itself.
Though her opening performances had Beyoncé standing stationary with her microphone, this was not the case for the rest of the set. Number after number, she and her star dancers did not falter a step in their choreography. Flashing on the big screens, her dancers were pictured smiling brightly, their energy encouraging fans to flow with them.
Flares of silver glimmered in the crowd, members of the BeyHive on their feet in their high-heeled boots, not resting until the signal for brief intermissions played on the big screens.
In between sets, futuristic scenes played on the screens. These brought on the energy and anticipation for the upcoming songs and albums. For those who had not familiarized themselves with Beyoncé’s concerts, each background and costume was a surprise.
What the audience did not know, however, was that there would be a guest performance coming from fellow Houstonian, Megan Thee Stallion. Although her stage time was short, energy was up in the stadium—just in time for the big reveal of Blue Ivy, Beyoncé’s eldest daughter. Blue’s performance in the city her mother grew up in touched fans’ hearts, and once again, all the night’s attendees were on their feet.
Cheers erupted all around as “Energy” started playing. Immediately, fans whispered to those unfamiliar with the viral “mute” challenge, in which “Energy’s” lyrics play, “Look around, everybody on mute.”
After the line, there is a beat of silence before it drops and music resumes—the challenge being to have the stadium go “mute” and stay silent until the beat drops.
To say Beyoncé was impressed with her hometown was an understatement. She expressed this, saying Houston might have been the winner of her “mute” challenge.
Beyoncé performed her final songs—all hits—and exited the stage, leaving the BeyHive reeling from the concert. It had been everything we dreamt of: from the set, to the dancers, Blue Ivy, and Queen Bey herself.
As fans of Beyoncé Knowles, we had to ask ourselves: is going to the Renaissance film worth it if you’ve already been to the concert?
We worried it would ruin the feeling of seeing the performances in person. Would seeing the graphic perspectives of the tour ruin the innocence that we felt when she performed the songs live? We turned to the excitement of the Bee-Hive that was remembered when the “Renaissance” album was released. It made waves throughout social media as well as our own speakers at home. Each song on the album came with a sense of individuality and culture with each verse and beat.
Songs like “BREAK MY SOUL” and “CUFF IT” played all over radio stations on the way to school and brought a feeling of nostalgia to our parents as they familiarized themselves with the melodies and lyrics. To many, songs like “COZY”, “I’M THAT GIRL” and “ENERGY” created a fiery sense of confidence and support. Each song is sung in a voice and perspective that makes you take in and experience the lyrics and each special meaning.
In the song “Alien Superstar,” Knowles writes “All of these things we do in a different, unique, specific way that is personally ours.”
The order in which the idea of “Renaissance” was presented to the world has allowed us to slowly understand the effect of each lyric. It has allowed us to realize that through all our struggles and adversities, we are truly unique.
Seeing the concert live was an experience which allowed the audience to feel the energy of the album with their own perspective on the music while the film portrayed Beyoncé’s.
“Renaissance” gave us a backstage glimpse of the tour and the album—the good and the bad—expressing “Renaissance” in its purest form.
