Tap, tap, tap on hardwood floors! Ten, ten, tens across the board!
Bank of America Stadium became the House of Renaissance on Wednesday, August 9 when Beyoncé Knowles-Carter stepped onto the stage for the Charlotte leg of her Renaissance World Tour.
I had the opportunity to get tickets to see her historic performance in the Queen City, and needless to say, Queen Bey left tens of thousands of people (including myself) awestruck and speechless.
For context, Beyoncé dropped her album “Renaissance” last summer, which is heavily inspired by the Black queer experience. It’s been dubbed a “love letter to Black queer dance culture,” infused with house beats, ballroom style music and more. Prior to the album’s release, Beyoncé dedicated the album to her Uncle Jonny, the person she said inspired the concept of “Renaissance.”
“He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album,” Beyoncé wrote in a letter to fans. “Thank you to all the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long.”
For most of her career, Beyoncé has been recognized as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and has been recognized for her advocacy, including an award from GLAAD in 2019. However, “Renaissance” went beyond traditional advocacy work — it’s one of the only musical projects to pay homage to a part of history that often is overlooked, or completely ignored.
“Renaissance” honors those who paved the way for LGBTQ+ folks today — the Black, queer trailblazers who were on the front lines fighting for equality for all. It also looks to a future where we all can be free to be our true, authentic selves without fear of persecution or dehumanization. While the concept of the album isn’t radical by any means, its message resonated with fans, especially her LGBTQ+ audience.
Her Wednesday show in Charlotte reflected Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” — the show kicked off with some of her songs of the past, including “Dangerously in Love,” “Flaws and All” and “1+1.” She also performed a cover of Tina Turner’s “River Deep – Mountain High” and Mary J. Blige’s rendition of “I’m Goin Down,” paying homage to two women who not only inspired Beyoncé, but paved the road for her.
From there, she jumped right into the Renaissance track list, performing “I’M THAT GIRL,” “COZY” and “ALIEN SUPERSTAR.” Everything in the performance reflected the theme of “Renaissance” — from chromatic, futuristic outfits to ballroom-style dancing with folding fans, accompanied by death drops and splits galore.
The set continued with a similar structure — songs of the past were interspersed with the newer material. Every performance was filled with what felt like magic; Mrs. Carter, as she often calls herself in her songs, enchanted the audience with every outfit change, dance move and sustained note.
One of the most anticipated moments of the show was when Beyoncé’s eldest child, Blue Ivy, came out for the performance of “My Power” and “Black Parade” from Beyoncé’s Disney+ project “Black is King.” Blue came out in a sparkling all royal blue ensemble, complete with matching heeled boots and square-rimmed sunglasses. Beyoncé and her daughter captivated the audience with their dance routines and ability to perform as a familial unit, which was something unique I haven’t seen at any other concert.
Blue led the dance team in a parade of sorts for the transition into “Black Parade,” which included a dance number to a remix of the song “Alright” by Kenderick Lamar. The crowd, including myself, stood on their feet and cheered on the 11-year-old dancer.
The concert continued with some of Beyoncé’s most iconic hits, including “Love on Top,” “Formation,” “Partition,” “7/11” and more. Throughout the entirety of Beyoncé’s performance, the crowd never settled — everyone was on their feet, screaming every single lyric to her songs.
Her message of love and acceptance is one that resonates with fans, including a woman I met at the concert. My fiance (who I lovingly dragged with me to see the Queen herself) and I sat in the upper bowl of Bank of America Stadium, where we met another couple: Shamyia and her wife, TaNora.
Wednesday was Shamyia’s third Beyoncé concert, and she described herself as a member of the Beyhive, Beyoncé’s official fanbase. She’d bought tickets the day before the concert and brought TaNora to experience her first live Beyoncé performance. Shamyia’s love for Beyoncé was unlike any admiration I had seen for any artist. So, naturally, I asked her how long she’d been a fan, if she’d seen her before and what differentiated Beyoncé from other artists.
After disclosing to me and my fiance that she’d been a fan for as long as she could remember, Shamyia talked about the “Renaissance” album and what it meant to her. Besides its addictive sound, as a queer Black woman, she said it was one of the first times she and her wife’s story and experience was captivated in music. It was homage to her ancestors and a look into her son’s future: it was everything she wanted and more.
That’s what made the Renaissance tour so special — Beyoncé was able to tell the forgotten stories of those trailblazers of the past, with a goal for an equitable future for all, regardless of color, creed or sexual orientation. In a time where LGBTQ+ people are under attack via regressive legislation, including North Carolina House Bill 808, House Bill 574 and Senate Bill 74, the message of “Renaissance” is crucial — we can celebrate Pride and honor those who came before us, but to achieve the “renaissance” Beyoncé proclaims, we have to continue to fight for equality for all.