Last night (January 21) at the opening of a luxury hotel in Dubai, Beyonce performed her first headlining show in more than four years.
Earlier this week, Beyonce invited influencers and journalists to join her in Dubai for the opening of the Atlantis The Royal Hotel. A “performance for life” was promised, although there was no official confirmation of Beyonce’s participation.
However, last night she took to the stage for her first headlining show since December 2018. Beyonce opened a private concert with “At Last”, “XO” and “Flaws And All” before playing tracks from her back catalogue.
Several tracks from Beyonce’s “Lion King: The Gift” soundtrack debuted live, including “Otherside”, “Spirit” and “Bigger”, and in “Brown Skin Girl” Blue Ivy Carter joined her mom on stage.
In the finale of the show, Beyonce sang “Drunk In Love” when a raised platform appeared from the fountain and fireworks exploded around it.
It is reported that cameras and mobile phones were banned at the concert, but it seems that several people violated this rule. Check out the footage from the fan shots and the full setlist below:
Official recording of Beyonce's performance in Dubai shared by @parkwood pic.twitter.com/tJZMgPWsji
— Beyoncé Press. | Fan Account (@beyoncepress) January 21, 2023
https://twitter.com/beyzhive/status/1616902507527274496
Beyoncé performed:
‘At Last’
‘XO’
‘Flaws And All’
‘Ava Marie’
‘Halo’
‘Brown Skin Girl’ (with Blue Ivy Carter)
‘Be Alive’
‘Otherside’
‘Bigger’
‘Spirit’
‘Freedom’
‘I Care’
‘Beautiful Liar’
‘Crazy In Love’
‘Countdown’
‘Naughty Girl’
‘Drunk In Love’
The show may have been the first time Beyonce took to the stage after the release of “Renaissance” 2022, but none of the album’s 16 songs were performed.
Beyonce has also been criticized by fans for her decision to perform in Dubai, which has a history of human rights violations. Homosexuality also remains a crime punishable by death in the United Arab Emirates.
“There is nothing iconic about Beyonce being paid an ungodly amount of money to promote a country that so blatantly violates human rights,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
However, some fans noted that Beyonce was reportedly working on the show with IAM Entertainment, a live performance-focused organization founded and run by Middle Eastern women.
Last year, Beyonce seemed to confirm her 2023 world tour in support of the new album “Renaissance” through an auction. It was also reported that her team, dancers and band will have to undergo a background check before going on the road.
However, the dates of the concerts have not been confirmed at the moment.
