The Renaissance World Tour kicked off in Sweden on May 10, bringing to life the best album of 2022 and the entertainment industry’s greatest star. Beyoncé will make her way around Europe, the United Kingdom and Canada before she makes it to the States. And until the July 12 show in Philadelphia, all we can do is sit eagerly for fan videos and Beyoncé’s Instagram posts of the tour. For a closer look, see below for what happened at the Renaissance Tour opener at Friends Arena in Stockholm.
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Yes, Beyonce somehow leveled up from her historical, incomparable Homecoming performance at Coachella. The 2018 set spanned 40 songs, which included a number of interludes, while her current touring show spans 36. We think a two-time-only performance and worldwide show with dozens of stops are pretty on par. What’s more, Beyoncé is the main attraction through and through. With no opener, she captivated her audience for nearly three hours.
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Given the whirling of visuals, outfits, dancers and more, Beyoncé’s show is broken down into various sections. However, as fans had wondered, the show doesn’t blast open with, “Please, m*********** ain’t stopping me.” Instead, she kicks things off with a new rendition of “Dangerously in Love,” which is followed by “Flaws and All,” “1+1,” Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Going Down” and “I Care.” The second set of songs finally begins the— pun intended— renaissance portion of the Renaissance Tour. She runs through the album’s first half of songs to “Break My Soul” with only two quick interruptions from “Lift Off” and “7/11.”
See also: 7 Of The Craziest ‘Renaissance' Merch Items From Beyoncé
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Beyoncé has a knack for tasteful maximalism (Did you see the album booklet artwork for Renaissance? The Black is King film?), but she is hardly ever so upfront with symbolism and tributes. Until now. Among her impressive wardrobe lineup of powerful, sparkling bodysuits is a bee ensemble that nods to her nickname (Bey as in “bee”) and fandom (Beyhive as in “beehive”). It comes complete with chrome antennas.
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The section of the performance before the final portion interlaces fan favorites with the rest of the Renaissance tracklist. Among the likes of “Virgo’s Groove” and “Thique,” career-spanning songs like “Get Me Bodied,” “Love on Top,” “Naughty Girl” and “Drunk in Love” are interlaced. But the grand finale explodes in ecstasy with “America Has A Problem” falling into “Pure/Honey” and, finally, “Summer Renaissance.” Beyoncé retreated from her fans with a groove still coursing in their veins.
After the show ends, Beyoncé leaves a picture of her mother and late Uncle Jonny projected on the screen.
— RENAISSANCE Updates (@B7Album) May 11, 2023
Uncle Jonny was the person that introduced Beyoncé to queer culture and the music that inspired RENAISSANCE. Jonny passed away in the late 90s due to complications from HIV pic.twitter.com/4jEm7cJ85G
If you’re among the many people who looped Renaissance over the last year, you’ve heard Beyoncé mention her late Uncle Johnny (see “Heated:” “Uncle Johnny made my dress”). It was also to who she dedicated the album, which she furthered on tour by broadcasting a photo of him and her mom, Tina Knowles-Lawson.
See also: Everything That Happened During Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Shows In Nashville
Photography by: Getty Images/Kevin Mazur
