Thursday, August 22, 2013

134 – Beyonce – Thursday, July 25, 2013 – Wells Fargo Arena – Philadelphia, PA

If you love listening to Beyonce, you would love this Philadelphia show.  Even if you’re like me, though, someone who has a strong bias against R+B dance tracks, I think you’d still enjoy the show.  Beyonce’s voice, her song selection, her stage production, and the high-energy full-capacity crowd made it hard for anyone not to have a good time.
   
Here are some highlights:

--- Whoa, the first song is starting with POUNDING.  She’s coming out as an ice queen on a castle background as the arena SHAKES.  Is this Pantera or Metallica?  That's seriously what the intro music sounds like.  Oooh, here comes the firrrre – laced with white!  All she does is shimmy her shoulders, and it feels electric.  When she starts singing the first song, “Girls,” it’s a solid call-and-response, but the spectacle was by far the best part.

--- “My first [solo arena] tour: I've dreamed of this since I've been a little girl….This is my favorite part of the show because I get to hear you all sing.”  Awww. 

--- “A little sweat never hurt nobody / get me bodied” – clever.  I like this line as well: “We got the swag sauce / she drippin' Swagu.”  The way she says “a di-va is a female version of a hust-la” never fails. 

--- Oh god, not the Sean Paul one – i.e. “Baby Boy.”  At least it has an unknown Arabian vibe to it – and the background dancers seem to multiply each verse!

--- I do not in fact have my “Freakum Dress” on, but thanks to the visual and beat, I find it the most exciting song so far.

--- I like how short the songs are; it allows for a lot of variety.  I love how everyone at the show seems to know every word of everything.

--- The best mood track so far is “1 + 1”: emphatic piano, mega wind machine, cooing interlude, and whoa, she just flew across the arena!!

--- She clearly thought a lot about song order.  Each of the final six songs build on each other: “Irreplaceable,” “Love on Top,” “Survivor,” “Crazy,” and “Single Ladies.”  Love the huge kaleidoscopes and cloud cannons during “Crazy.” 

--- Final surprise, during the encore: Jay-Z jumps up on stage!  She had no clue!


Grade: A-


No comments:

Post a Comment