Beyonce

at its most fundamental, beyoncé’s renaissance show is an orgasmic spectacle — a cornucopia of boundless extravagance played to song. in the opening song of the show, she suggests, “it’s not the diamonds, it’s not the pearls, i’m that girl.” and here is a show that confirms that statement as fact — that even if she were performing in the dark, no pump or frills, she would still deliver a mouth-watering show. and yet, she doubles up, wielding sound, light, and technology; bending bodies and twisting vocal chords — what results is a gargantuan monument of a concert; a massive blockbuster that winds you, knocking you off your feet from the very moment she steps foot on the stage, welcoming a screaming crowd to the next chapter of her seemingly never-ending story. a new high. an extra peak. a renaissance. ever the perfectionist, beyoncé’s show is sharp, but in tune with the theme of the album, she for once lets loose and allows room for something more human amidst the futuristic storytelling and robotic accompaniments (think of the precision of the robot arms during “COZY”, juxtaposed with the frantic energy of beyoncé’s arms right behind them). her energy is just so bounteous it is blinding, infecting even those on the periphery. on the tour — as in her music — beyoncé collapses time and space so that she transcends beyond both (watching her body-rock [a 2023 dance craze]in the middle of “Diva”, a song from 2011, was like a maddening fever dream, and yet there it was). she leaps through the air on a disco horse during “SUMMER RENAISSANCE”, dances on a moving runway during “BREAK MY SOUL”; she sings out of a clam-shell and swaggers on an armored truck — and not a single strand of hair is out of place. after every achievement that affirms her as one of the very best to ever do it, one has to wonder where beyoncé goes from there. but if the renaissance tour is any indication, she will always find ways to get higher than this.