Photo: Daniel Vesco/Parkwood Entertainment/AP Invision
Beyonce kicked off her UK tour in Sunderland last night, with a 30+ song set which included pyrotechnics, blasts of fire, confetti canons and - most importantly - her own sheer star power.
After the large white cube that had been lying dormant at the centre of the stage began to pulse red and black, Beyonce stalked onto the stage to ‘Formation’ (forty minutes later than billed), dressed all in black and with a wide rimmed hat draped over most of her face.
The sprinklings of tracks from new album Lemonade continued through the night, interspersed with many of the bigger hits from the rest of her dauntingly expansive career. A few - ‘Crazy In Love’, for example, and Destiny’s Child’s ‘Survivor’ - were more cameos than full songs, while others necessarily fell by the wayside entirely. ‘If I Were A Boy’ was eschewed, as was ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ and ‘Sweet Dreams’. Of her bigger hits, in fact, it was the anthemic ballads that seemed to have been the first to go.
Though the weather didn’t exactly grace Queen Bey with a warm welcome - the vendors outside the venue who were selling ponchos must have made a killing - it didn’t dampen the spirits of the 50,000-strong crowd. An a cappella rendition of ‘Love On Top’ turned into a mass singalong - one which took Beyonce several attempts to bring to a close.
After an immensely powerful, stomping rendition of Lemonade highlight ‘Freedom’, performed barefoot in a pool of shallow water as Beyonce and a posse of dancers splashed around in unison (soaking those in the front row even further), ‘Halo’ brought things to a more subdued close.
Criminally, she cut even that track shorter than its sprawling full length - and yet as the crowds traipsed out of the stadium, no one was left feeling short-changed.
Beyonce’s UK tour continues on Thursday in Cardiff, before continuing onto London, Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin. See the full dates below, as well as last night’s setlist. For tickets and more information, visit here.
Thu June 30 2016 - CARDIFF Principality Stadium Cardiff
Sat July 02 2016 - LONDON Wembley Stadium
Sun July 03 2016 - LONDON Wembley Stadium
Tue July 05 2016 - MANCHESTER Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground
Thu July 07 2016 - GLASGOW Hampden Park National Stadium
Sat July 09 2016 - DUBLIN Croke Park
Beyonce played:
Intro
(with samples of 'No Angel' and ‘Formation’)
Formation
Sorry
Kitty Kat
(a cappella)
Bow Down
('Tom Ford' outro)
Run the World (Girls)
Superpower
(Interlude)
Mine
Baby Boy
Hold Up
Countdown
(with samples of 'Pop My Trunk’)
Me, Myself and I
Runnin' (Lose It All)
All Night
I Care / Ghost
(Interlude)
Don't Hurt Yourself
Ring the Alarm
(with samples of 'Lost Yo Mind’)
Diva
(with samples of 'Cut It', & ‘Panda’)
***Flawless
(Interlude)
***Flawless
(Remix)
Feeling Myself
Yoncé
Drunk in Love
Rocket
Hip Hop Star / Freakum Dress
(Interlude)
Daddy Lessons
Love on Top
(a cappella)
1+1
Crazy in Love
Naughty Girl
Party
(with samples of 'La Di Da Di’)
Die with You / Blue
(Interlude)
Freedom
Survivor
(Destiny’s Child song)
End of Time
(with samples of 'Grown Woman’)
Halo
