Beyoncé might be known as Queen Bey, but at the first North American stop of her “Renaissance World Tour” in Toronto on Saturday, July 8th, she was one of us, albeit with an exceptional voice and more Grammys than anyone else on the planet. But she displayed a warmth and true appreciation for being on the stage and performing for the sold-out crowd of 49,000.
Incredibly, the 41-year-old singer, songwriter, producer, and dancer was able to make the massive stadium Rogers Centre actually seem intimate, as she put on a dazzling two-and-a-half hour show for the first of two sold-out nights. That had to do with a stage-length LED screen that projected Beyoncé’s image with such immensity and clarity that it was as if everyone had a front-row seat. There was no pixel to be seen; it was astoundingly perfect. She was right there.
The spectacle began with a little pre-show warm-up from the crowd itself. Walking in and around the venue, there were people of all genders dressed for the dance party of the year, many in disco-ball cowboy hats like the one Etsy’s Abby Misbin made Beyoncé for the “Renaissance Tour” advertisement, plus lots of sequins, sparkles, tassels, short-shorts, stylish cowboy boots, and more sequins.
And instead of ignoring fellow fans as they lined up for merch or a drink or went to find their seats, there was plenty of arm taps with “I love your outfit” and “You look fabulous” — and lots and lots of posing for photographs and selfies.
It was just an all-round happy vibe, a kind of bey-longing or immediate membership into the Club of Bey — or “Club Renaissance,” as the Beyoncé camp for this tour calls it.
As people filed in the dome, the giant screen displayed the color bars of the Progress Pride flag.
The concert then started with a picture of a blue but cloudy sky and then her name BEYONCÉ rising up, as small squares simultaneously disappear to reveal some skin. It took a minute, one or two squares at a time, to eventually reveal a photo of the singer, lying naked (with strategically placed glitter star-shaped pasties) in a pair of heels then the announcement: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Beyoncé.”
She emerged, looking absolutely stunning in a simple chainmail sleeveless minidress, singing the Destiny’s Child ballad “Dangerously In Love,” and taking a moment to really belt out the words, reminding us off the top of her innate three-and-a-half octave ability.
“Welcome. How’re y’all doin’?” she said, the Texan in her coming through, then thanking everyone for their love and support throughout her career. “I feel so grateful to be standing here…I’ve been able to do what I love since I was 15, in Destiny’s Child,” she said, a seamless intro after kicking off the evening with the 22-year-old song from her former group’s Survivor album.
The show, which debuted in Stockholm, Sweden on May 10th and currently runs through October 1st (get tickets here), features tracks from her 2022 Renaissance dance album performed in order, but interspersed with other hits and bits and snippets and interpolations.
