Miss out on Beyoncé and Jay Z's "On The Run Tour" this summer? Well you're in luck! HBO and Roc Nation announced today that the concert special for the tour will air September 20th on the premium channel. See the trailer for the TV special below:
FOXBOROUGH, MA - JULY 1: Beyoncé and JAY Z perform on the On The Run Tour at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mason Poole/Parkwood Entertainment/PictureGroup)
What’s better than a solo Beyoncé concert? A Beyoncé and Jay Z concert.
Beyoncé and Jay Z brought their hugely successful “On The Run” tour to Gillette Stadium Tuesday night for a sold-out crowd of over 50,000. If there is one concert in your life you have to see, then definitely it’s this one.
The show opened up with one of the couple’s first songs, “Bonnie And Clyde,” which lit the crowd on fire. Going into the tour, I was slightly concerned that it just would be a typical joint tour, where the two artists each take the stage for half the time. To my delight, the show was executed perfectly as a joint performance. After the first song, Bey and Jay switched off, doing their hits like “Crazy In Love,” “Tom Ford,” and more.
FOXBOROUGH, MA - JULY 1: Beyoncé performs on the On The Run Tour at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mason Poole/Parkwood Entertainment/PictureGroup)
Seeing Beyoncé for the second time in several months, fresh off her “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour”, I was excited to see her doing songs off her new, self-titled album. Queen Bey sexily danced and grinded through “Flawless,” “Yoncé,” and “Partition” (among others).
The focus of the night, however, wasn’t solely Beyoncé or Jay Z, but rather on their relationship to one another. In recent news, gossip magazines have claimed that Jay has been cheating on Bey, which would be very hard to believe after seeing this show. There was an obvious connection between them, and the whole audience knew it, especially during Jay Z’s “Young Forever,” when the two sang to each other while walking to the center stage.
As I noted back in December at the “Mrs. Carter Show,” Bey really does have a connection with her fans, as does Jay Z. The stage had a setup in the center of the stadium, which both stars used as way to get closer to their fans. In fact, Jay actually took a few minutes to walk onto that stage just to look at “all the sexy ladies.” There, he freestyled an intro to his wife’s “Partition.” That’s not the only time that they collaborated on something not officially recorded. Bey joined in, with perhaps my favorite moment of the night, by singing Justin Timberlake’s part in Jay Z’s “Holy Grail.”
Respect that, bow-down bitches.
Seven days after surprising the world and releasing a record breaking album out of nowhere, superstar Beyoncé brought her “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” back to the TD Garden in Boston for the second leg of the tour- and fans did not turn down for this one. The show was completely sold out, with the “Beyhive” in full attendance. Beyoncé was a little late in taking the stage, but the crowd could not have cared less. As it turns out, Mrs. Carter was actually at a Walmart outside of Boston in Tewskbury and gave all 750 shoppers in the store a 50 dollar gift card (total of $37,500)! Never have I heard of an artist being late because he or she was out doing good - bravo to you, Queen Bey.
The lights shut off, and everyone went absolutely insane. Beyoncé rose from under the stage (wearing her typical sparkly-getup) to deafening alarm sounds and pyrotechnics. Bow Down Bitches.
Beyonce performs onstage on her Mrs. Carter World Tour, on Friday, December 20, 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Robin Harper/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP)
Along with songs from her previous album “4”, Mrs. Carter performed some of her classic hits like “Naughty Girl”, “Crazy in Love” and more. But one of the biggest highlights from the night was when the opening rifts from “Irreplaceable” came on and Bey grabbed onto a harness and flew across the crowd wearing a dazzling-blue jumpsuit. That’s right. Beyoncé flew over the jam-packed GA floor to the “Bey Stage”, where she greeted the thousands who may not have had such a great view of her from the main stage (and the big-tag VIP purchasers “in” the stage). This was where she showed how much love she had for her fans. At one point, she put her microphone down, sat down on the edge of the stage and hugged a little girl (who started to cry). This appreciation wasn’t just for the VIP fans either. The “Single Ladies” singer walked around the “Beystage” and touched as many hands as she could, saying “Thanks”. I find it great that Beyoncé recognizes the fact that it’s because of the “Beyhive” that she is so famous today. There are many artists in the industry who forget this, so it’s refreshing to see the love pouring out from her into the crowd. Bey showed her love even more by going all out on “Love on Top” and finishing her “Beystage” act with the throwback “Survivor” before flying back over to the main stage.
Perhaps, though, the most special part of the night was the last song. Although she did perform “XO” off of her newest album “BEYONCÉ” (which was a highlight), “Halo” took the gold. This was the simplest performance of the night, which was what made it so special. Mrs. Carter walked around the stage thanking everybody, even waving up to the people in the balcony sections. She made her way to both front VIP pits, and once again showed her love for the fans. Bey kept thanking everyone for coming, which truly showed how grateful she was for the opportunity to entertain the city of Boston. No dancing, no fire, no visuals on the screen, just Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her fans.
Beyonce performs onstage on her Mrs. Carter World Tour, on Friday, December 20, 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Robin Harper/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP)
Reflecting on the “Mrs. Carter Show”, I definitely can say that it was one of the best concerts I’ve seen. This was truly a work of art, not just with the music and vocals, but also the dancing, the stage, the lights, and the confetti raining down during “Single Ladies”. Everything just worked together to create a natural-feeling set, a feeling I haven’t gotten many times at concerts in the past. The only thing I would have liked to see more of were performances off of her new album. However, that’s to be expected as it dropped mid-tour, and wouldn’t have been realistic as it would’ve required new choreography, etc.
I highly recommend seeing Beyoncé the next time she comes to a city near you. For tour dates and more info on the “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour”, visit Beyoncé’s official website.
Special thanks to Parkwood Entertainment.
