So Beyoncé is currently on tour in Europe and the tour is coming to a close. She has finally made her way to the UK where she will be doing a whopping 10 shows! 4 of which are in London. She will also hit a few other close countries. I for one am excited because, after Europe/UK she is coming home to the US!!!! Last night was the first show on her UK journey and she started things off in Newcastle Upon Tyne. The show was said to be AMAZING! She did Scared Of Lonely and even included Dagerously In Love back to the setlist!! Here is a official review:
At its best, the opening night of Beyoncé Knowles’s British tour was a brash, breathtaking, booty-shaking bonanza inspired by Tina Turner in Mad Max and James Brown’s 70s soul revues. At its worst, it was a cold, calculated, cringeworthy affair as beautifully bland as the singer’s star turns in hair-care adverts.
Starting the show with Crazy In Love was a brave, brilliant move. Who could resist Beyoncé in a gold, glittery bodice with a giant bunnygirl bow on her bum gyrating her padded-out hips to what still sounds like the song of the decade? Throw in a vast, all-female band on perspex platforms, dancers clad in Lycra catsuits and a sax solo that didn’t sound silly and the 27-year-old had the crowd in the palm of her perfectly manicured hand. Every stomp of a high-heeled shoe had them screaming, every toss of her lion-like mane had groups of girls punching the air in admiration.
For the first 15 minutes Beyoncé dazzled, yet there were signs that the show was a touch too slick. When she knelt by a tattooed guitarist and swept the floor with her hair, it looked sexy, but overly staged. That she could deliver her vocals with a gritty R&B roar while keeping up tightly choreographed routines was immensely impressive, but led to her taking long breaks between songs.
Her current album I Am . . . Sasha Fierce has sold close to half a million copies in Britain, but much of it consists of bland ballads and a string of them together soundtracked the cheesiest section of the show. For Smash into You, Beyoncé appeared at the top of a staircase, being blown about by a wind machine. Surely even Celine Dion would have drawn the line at pretending to skip through waves crashing on a giant screen behind her or donning a wedding dress of feathers and clutching flowers.
As one of the world’s highest-earning celebrities, most of whose income comes from adverts and endorsements, Beyoncé is obliged to try to appeal to all people all the time.
Musically, it poses a problem. Beyoncé’s new songs have no edge and the second half of her show, which delved into her better back catalogue, felt disjointed. One minute, she was a warrior in black leather or wearing a metal, Thierry Mugler bikini while shaking her backside to infectious R&B; the next, she was in flowing robes, crooning syrupy songs for housewives.
For the last section of the two-hour show, Beyoncé finally managed successfully to mix her two sides. A semi-naked man hit a giant gong and suddenly the singer appeared, all in gold, flying through the air towards a small, second stage in the centre of the arena. Yes, it was a touch tacky, but it was impossible not to enjoy the sheer superstar spectacle. The former hit Irreplaceable was handed to the crowd before a medley of hits from Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé’s former band, resulted in a roof-raising singalong.
A cover of Etta James’s At Last, performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration, was a reminder that Beyoncé can sing as well as she can dance.
A brief appearance in a robot costume with lights shining from her chest suggested that she might still have a sense of humour. And a triumphant Single Ladies, backed by YouTube footage of fans covering the song, proved the singer can still make music with attitude.
Keeping everyone happy has never looked like harder work.
seems like that critic is a hard person to please.....
source: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/live_reviews/article6347096.ece
The show took place at:
Metro Radio Arena
No comments:
Post a Comment