What We Saw When Beyonc茅 Came to Town

Queen Bey was in The D last week and one of our writers was there to capture the magic.
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Photograph by Darlene A. White

After five years since her last performance in Detroit, Beyonc茅鈥檚 show at Ford Field on July 26, 2023, was like a reunion for the Beyhive as the 41-year-old finally unveiled the stunning and eye-popping听production that is her 鈥溾 to The Motor City.

On that rainy听night, fans braved the elements to attend the show that had been the buzz of the summer. The arena鈥檚 doors opened at 5:30 p.m. and the show was slated to start at 8 p.m. Instead of an opening act or DJ to get the party started, the same sluggish techno music played repeatedly, and the 60,000 concertgoers for the sold-out show听could be seen becoming antsy as they waited for one of the biggest superstars听in history to hit the stage.

As I looked around, I couldn鈥檛 help but notice the glitzy cowboy boots, tailored jackets with Renaissance embroideries, and sparkling jumpsuits inspired by Beyonc茅鈥檚 most recent album, Renaissance.

When Beyonc茅 took the stage at 9:30 p.m., the crowd erupted in cheers as magic happened.

She wore a shimmering cape jumpsuit from her own line as she kicked things off with her hit song 鈥淒angerously in Love.鈥 She then launched into a laid-back performance of five songs including, 鈥淔laws and All,鈥 and 鈥1+1,鈥 which made it seem almost like she was opening for herself. She even performed, 鈥淩iver Deep, Mountain High鈥 during her set as听tribute to Tina Turner, who died earlier this year.

After 30 minutes of a calm, yet energetic, opening, the show transformed into a Renaissance affair. When the singer began 鈥淚鈥檓 That Girl,鈥 鈥淐ozy,鈥 and 鈥淎lien Superstar,鈥 the audience got up and started dancing as they sang along without missing a beat 鈥斕齛nd there were plenty of outfit changes throughout her sets, too. (I counted at least six).

Beyonc茅 brought the energy as she rode a silver, tank-like vehicle for many songs, beginning with 鈥淢y Power.鈥 During her hits 鈥淓nergy鈥 and 鈥淏reak My Soul,鈥 she and her dancers walked around the stage as a huge silver听horse came out of nowhere. She performed her hits 鈥淧lastic Off the Sofa鈥 and 鈥淰irgo鈥檚 Groove鈥 in a huge, raised clam shell, and pretended to be a newscaster as Les Twins danced above the Club Renaissance audience on what looked to be flexible dance poles during 鈥淎merica Has a Problem.鈥

Beyonc茅鈥檚 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy even had a chance to show the crowd her artistic abilities as she danced during 鈥淏lack Parade,鈥 鈥淧artition,鈥 and Megan Thee Stallion鈥檚 鈥淪avage.鈥

The Texas native finished that portion of the show with a homage to Black Power, and also sprinkled Black music anthems like the Jackson 5鈥檚 鈥淚 Want You Back,鈥 Maze鈥檚 鈥淏efore I Let Go,鈥 and Diana Ross鈥 鈥淟ove Hangover鈥澨齮hroughout the performance.

At the conclusion of the show, Beyonc茅 made sure to introduce her band and dancers to the large crowd, and by the end, there was a vogue dance battle between her dancers that featured splits and drops 鈥 serving as a reminder that Renaissance is Beyonc茅鈥檚 way of giving the LGBTQ+ dance community its due.

Bey thanked the audience before exiting the stage, and as she did, a burst of silver confetti fell around her.

Find more metro Detroit music news and things to do in our area at HourDetroit.com.