Atlanta showed why the nickname Hotlanta is simply befitting. The capacity crowd came in with fervor, fashion and passion to welcome Beyoncé at a fever pitch for the first of three nights here of her widely-lauded RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR. Shows continue on Saturday and Monday.
Beyoncé adds even more brightness to Atlanta in a design by Gaurav Gupta, styled by Shiona Turini. Makeup by Rokael Lizama. Hair by Neal Farinah and jewelry by Tiffany & Co. Shoes by Christian Louboutin.
Photographer: Mason Poole
Beyoncé is the epitome of excellence in every sense of the word.
Her obsessive work habits and dedication are obvious in every performance, even two-plus decades into her career. It’s amazing to witness the quality show she puts on every night at the age of 41, reminiscent of what LeBron James is currently doing in the NBA entering his 21st season. In Beyoncé’s case, however, she’s performing two-and-a-half-hour sets with full choreography as opposed to throwing down windmill reverse dunks and averaging over 28 points per game.
On night one of her three Atlanta dates on Aug. 11, she opened the act by singing. The sounds that resonated from the microphone — while in a lime green dress designed by Gaurav Gupta, styled by Shiona Turini — rang of perfection through Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Every note was in key and the riffs and runs floated out effortlessly, as the capacity crowd stood in amazement.
Despite being one of the most famous people on the planet, Beyoncé reasserted her humanness and thanked each and every fan for keeping her relevant for nearly a quarter century.
In the second act, the Renaissance begins — complete with multiple wardrobe changes, all dazzling with a dash of sparkle, much like the outfits of many audience members. Mrs. Carter slinked and shimmied through songs from her latest album, including “I’m that Girl,” “Cozy” and “Alien Superstar,” which featured a mix of “Sweet Dreams” during the breakdown.
She then took a detour to perform “Lift Off” from Jay-Z and Kanye West’s 2011 Watch The Throne album. Back at the Renaissance, she performed “Cuff It” and “Energy,” where she officially declared Atlanta the winner of the “On Mute” challenge. Beyoncé closed out the act with the album’s lead single, “Break My Soul.”
When she returned to the stage, she began to show off her legendary catalog, performing “Formation,” “Diva” and “Run The World (Girls)” back-to-back-to-back.
One of the tour’s unique highlights, eldest daughter Blue Ivy joined her megastar mom on stage to show off perfectly-timed choreography. The crowd chanted “Blue!” at the end of her set. The 11-year-old threw up a heart before blowing a pair of kisses and snapping into a peace sign. Once Blue Ivy left the stage, her mother performed a couple of love tunes before performing the upbeat “Get Me Bodied,” “Before I Let Go” and “Love On Top” where the audience sang the second half of the megahit.
Beyoncé has so many hits, many huge singles had to be played during wardrobe changes, even “Single Ladies.” As she plays the 20-year-old “Crazy In Love,” you realize just how long she has dominated the music industry and appreciate the performance even more. Her consistency, crispness and energy has left little doubt that Beyoncé is one of the greatest performers in the world.
Some celebrities in attendance included Kandi Burruss, Summer Walker, Teyana Taylor and 21 Savage, who showed off some of his vocals during the night as well.
21 Savage is me at the RWT 😭 pic.twitter.com/4f7M4crKFq
— King LT 👑 (@mydropofreality) August 12, 2023
