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Evening Standard

Lifestyle

Emma Loffhagen

Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour: The songs and other best moments from the opening night

Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour Alexander McQueen Kevin Mazur

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the iconic mother of the house of Renaissance, Beyoncé!”

So began the intro to THIQUE, the 30th song on the first night of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, which began in Stockholm on Wednesday.

Titled after the global megastar’s post-pandemic dance album of the same name, the two hours and 50-minute spectacle featured no fewer than 36 of her biggest hits. Beyoncé also had nine outfit changes, rode a giant, glitter-encrusted horse, sang from inside a giant clam, and flew through the crowds to close out the night.

The 2-hour and 50-minute set featured no fewer than nine outfit changes (Getty Images for Parkwood)

The 57-date stadium tour is projected to gross as much as £1.9 billion ($2.4bn) by the time it ends in New Orleans in late September.

Queen Bey opened her first solo headline tour since 2016 in a custom metallic suit courtesy of Alexander McQueen, and thanked the crowd for being with her on the tour’s opening night.

“You could have been anywhere in the world tonight but you choose to be here with me,” she said, before launching into a rousing rendition of her 2003 hit Dangerously in Love.

Beyoncé on stage in Loewe (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

In a move only Beyoncé could pull off, she was her own opening act, giving the crowds three more of her older power ballad hits — Flaws and All, 1+1 and I Care. The “main act” then took to the stage, as Beyoncé launch into a Studio 54-esque Renaissance party.

Futuristic alien couture was the aesthetic for the Renaissance portion of the night. The Texan singer characteristically pushed the boundaries of 21st-century performance technology, notably with a dress that changed colour when exposed to UV light.

Another fan favourite was the giant sequined horse Beyoncé flew around on for the show’s epic finale, as well as the bouncing antennae her dancers mounted to be flung around all corners of the stage.

The Crazy in Love singer has stayed incredibly quiet since releasing her critically acclaimed seventh studio album last summer, notably not releasing a single music video for any of the tracks.

She addressed the lack of visuals during the night, with a screen flashing the words: “You’ve asked for the visuals, you’ve called for the queen, but a queen moves at her own pace b*tch.”

In between stage settings, fans were treated to some long-awaited visuals, mixtures of new material and old footage from her past videos.

As expected, there was plenty of homage paid to the LGBTQ community who inspired her latest album, especially the ballroom scene. Towards the end of the show, during an extended version of “Pure/Honey,” a ‘Vogue’ battle even ensued, with dancers showing off their best moves to an enraptured audience.

Beyoncé on stage in custom Alexander McQueen (Kevin Mazur Getty Images)

As is typical for a Beyoncé show, the near-three-hour extravaganza featured mash-ups from other artists, with Britney Spears’ Toxic, Kendrick Lamar’s Alright, Jackson 5’s I Want You Back, and Nina Sky’s Move Ya Body among those featured.

See below for the full 35-song set list.