Renaissance World Tour

The Renaissance World Tour is the ongoing ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was announced on February 1, 2023, in support of her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance'' (2022). The concert run began on May 10, 2023, at Friends Arena, in Stockholm, Sweden. It is her first solo tour since the Formation World Tour in 2016.

The concert is almost three hours long and is split into six acts, with Beyoncé performing the tracks of ''Renaissance'' in order, interspersed with songs from across her discography. The show received critical acclaim, with particular praise for the production value and Beyoncé's vocal performance.

Background

The tour was teased on October 23, 2022, when Beyoncé auctioned a ticket for an unspecified show. It was sold for $50,000 in a charity auction at the Wearable Art Gala to support the WACO Theatre. It included two tickets to the concert, first-class airfare, a three-night hotel stay, and a personal backstage tour led by Beyoncé's mother.

On February 1, 2023, Beyoncé announced the tour via her Instagram account.

In March 2023, Business leaders in western Sydney began advocating for Accor Stadium to take priority over Allianz Stadium for a Beyoncé concert in New South Wales, due to Accor having twice the audience capacity to accommodate her ticket demand. The possibility of Allianz Stadium securing a Renaissance World Tour concert has chiefly provoked the New South Wales government to end a 57-year ban on holding more than four concerts per year at the stadium. The ban could be lifted as soon as October 2023 to allow the venue to host Beyoncé in 2024. The Premier of New South Wales said that this could bring local businesses "an additional $1.3 billion." The concert cap has existed since 1965 due to noise complaints from nearby residents, but now the government is pushing to increase it to 20 concerts per year.

In April 2023, Beyoncé rented Europe's largest indoor stadium, Paris La Défense Arena, in Paris, France, to rehearse for the tour. Composer Emily Bear is the pianist for the tour.

Journalist José Norberto Flesch reported in May 2023 that Beyoncé would tour Brazil between March and April 2024.

Ticketing

Alongside the announcement of the tour, it was also announced that a public on-sale for the North American leg would initially not happen, with all initial ticket sales for the leg using Ticketmaster's Verified Fan system. In addition, all the cities in the North American leg of the tour would be split into three different registration groups that would all have different registration periods and on-sale times.

Jay Peters of ''The Verge'' noted that this spreading out of demand appeared to be an attempt by Ticketmaster to prevent an incident identical to the Ticketmaster–Taylor Swift fiasco that had occurred less than three months earlier, in which Ticketmaster crashed during the Verified Fan presale of the Eras Tour. Peters questioned how effective the strategy would be since people could sign up for each of the registration groups instead of just one. In light of the mismanagement of Swift's concert ticket sales, and the U.S. Senate hearing it sparked, the Senate Judiciary Committee tweeted from their official Twitter account, 'We're watching, @Ticketmaster,' in reference to the Renaissance World Tour.

In light of this, Ticketmaster has implemented new policies to try and combat difficulty for concertgoers and to "create a less crowded ticket shopping experience for fans." Registration does not guarantee a ticket. Instead, a "lottery-style process" affects who is placed on the waitlist and who is given a unique access code after registering as a Verified Fan. Tickets bought in European markets also cannot be resold on Ticketmaster for more than their original price.

Production

Staging and lighting

The staging consists of two separate stages connected by a broad ramp: the A stage with a circle shaped cavity in the middle of a giant, flat screen; while the B stage is subdivided in a circumferenced structure surrounding the so-called VIP section "Club Renaissance", with a extension of the ramp acting as the radius of the layout. It also features monumental sculptures and metallic tanks, mannequin-horses, robotic arms, pyrotechnics and ultraviolet technology. Es Devlin Studio and Stufish Entertainment Architects were in charge of the stage design along with Beyoncé and her creative team, Parkwood. The design process took around 18 months.

Costume design

Beyoncé had multiple outfit changes throughout the show, under the styling of Shiona Turini. The wardrobe features a silver beaded Alexander McQueen catsuit, a white bell-sleeved Anrealage gown that transformed into a multicolored masterpiece underneath a UV light, a custom silver Courrèges bodysuit with a striking circular cutout, a pearl-embellished Balmain bodysuit, hat and sunglasses, a metallic feathered frock courtesy of Coperni, a colorful mesh minidress by David Koma, and a bee costume by Thierry Mugler. Additional accesories and jewelry were custom-made by Tiffany & Co. Among the collection of designer pieces, MYKITA sunglasses are also part of the variety of ensembles showcased in the show.

Synopsis

The show lasts almost three hours. It is structured into six distinct acts in which Beyoncé performs every song from ''Renaissance'' in the album order, interspersed with songs from throughout her catalogue. As the audience enters the stadium, the colors of the LGBTIQ+ Progress Pride Flag are displayed on the screen in the form of SMPTE color bars. Between sets and costume changes, video clips from Beyoncé’s music videos and past tour interludes are projected on the LED screen, as well as new visuals filmed specifically for the tour and the unreleased music videos for the accompanying album.

The Opening Act is performed by Beyoncé herself, in which she sings R&B ballads from earlier in her discography. Pink clouds are projected on the screen as an image of a glitching signboard rises, forming a picture of Beyoncé in a pose similar to Giorgione's Sleeping Venus. The singer rises onto the main stage to perform "Dangerously in Love 2" and welcome the audience. "Flaws and All" and "1+1" continue the set before a cover of Rose Royce's " I'm Going Down." The Opening Act ends with a performance of " I Care".

A visual interlude marks the next act as Renaissance, showing a maximalist montage of intergalactic travel and robotic machines reminiscent of Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi film ''Metropolis''. The Renaissance segment of the show is interspersed with spoken word interludes from legendary commentator Kevin JZ Prodigy in an homage to ball culture. As the voice asks if the audience are "ready to serve" and "ready to slay", Beyoncé performs the first track from ''Renaissance'', "I'm That Girl". Beyoncé then performs "Cozy" with two mechanical arms holding silver frames that interact with her as she dances. She then performs "Alien Superstar", with elements of "Sweet Dreams", followed by " Lift Off". The French dance duo Les Twins perform a dance break to "7/11". The Motherboard act starts with "Cuff It", while a large silver horse emerges from the dome. Making their way to the circular secondary stage, Beyoncé and her dancers perform "Energy" and a mashup of "Break My Soul" with its remix. The next act, Opulence, begins with "Formation", which is followed by "Diva", making reference to rapper Lil Uzi Vert's viral dance on TikTok, and "Run the World (Girls)" on the ramp of the B stage. During " Black Parade", Beyoncé enters the stage on a silver tank, upon which she also performs " Savage (Remix)" and " Partition".

Following an interlude indicating the Anointed section, Beyoncé emerges from the dome in all-white robe that is colored by ultraviolet light to reveal a pattern of stained glass, which is then removed for a performance of "Church Girl,” "Get Me Bodied" and "Before I Let Go.” Backing vocalists and dancers appear on stage to accompany " Rather Die Young.” Beyoncé begins to perform “ Love on Top,” singing the final two key changes acapella alongside the audience, before counting into “Crazy in Love,” during which the dancers are dressed in white tank tops and denim jeans, recreating Beyoncé’s outfit from the music video. After chorus girls continue with "Love Hangover”, Beyoncé emerges from a clam shell, reminiscent of Botticelli’s ''The Birth of Venus'', in a bedazzled “hands-on” Loewe bodysuit. She performs "Plastic Off The Sofa" and a mash-up of "Virgo's Groove" with " Naughty Girl,” during which Beyoncé sings snippets of a number of her R&B songs, including "Say My Name" and "Dance for You". "Move" is performed with a choreography along with her dancers. During “Heated”, the robotic arms return holding fans, as does Beyoncé, fanning herself off while standing in a circle of microphones. The final act, Mind Control, sees Beyoncé dressed in a Thierry Mugler bee costume with a desk simulating a fictional newscast titled KNTY 4 NEWS to start the encore with "America Has a Problem". Beyoncé exits the stage at the end of “Pure/Honey" as her dancers vogue in a ballroom duel, returning to end the concert with "Summer Renaissance" flying above the audience riding a holographic mannequin-horse.

Commercial performance

Presale

The first pre-sale in the UK on February 2, which was exclusive for O2 customers, was met with "overwhelming" demand and caused the O2 Priority website to crash. Over 200,000 people were trying to purchase tickets for one of the London dates, of which fewer than 7,000 were available. After fans voiced their upset and caused "O2 Priority" to trend on Twitter, O2 released an apology acknowledging the "huge demand" and reassuring fans that they are working to resolve the issue.

A pre-sale on February 3, which was organized by Live Nation, saw over 3 million people trying to get tickets for dates in the UK, France, Sweden and Poland, which caused Ticketmaster to crash. In the first few minutes of the second UK pre-sale, over 400,000 people joined the queue to one of the London shows, which then extended to over 800,000 people. More than 600,000 people were in the queue for tickets to the Edinburgh show. Hotel room prices soared in Edinburgh for the date of the concert, with the price of one hotel room increasing by more than 360%. In France, over 260,000 people were trying to purchase tickets for the Paris show.

General sale

Millions of people were trying to get tickets upon general sale in the UK, causing the Ticketmaster site to crash due to the "incredible" demand. After more than 370,000 people queued for each of the two London dates, a third date was added. The third London date saw half a million people queuing for tickets, leading to a fourth date being added. The fourth date saw another half a million people joining the queue, leading to a fifth date being added. More than 90% of hotels in the vicinity of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are booked up for the dates of Beyoncé's shows, and the price of hotel rooms in Sunderland soared by almost 600% for the night of Beyoncé's concert.

Beyoncé's shows in Paris and Marseille sold out within minutes, with hundreds of thousands of fans trying to buy tickets and the Stade de France site crashing. Martin d'Argenlieu of Stade Vélodrome said that they had not seen such demand for a decade. Additional shows were added in Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Warsaw due to high demand for the first shows announced in those cities.

According to Ticketmaster, the ticket demand exceeded the number of available tickets by more than 800% in Toronto, Chicago, East Rutherford, Summerfield, Atlanta, Inglewood, and Houston, to all of which additional shows were added consequently. Live Nation said that, despite the newly added dates, the majority of fans will not be able to purchase tickets: "Demand drastically exceeds supply".

Achievements

Philanthropy

As with previous tours, Beyoncé is supporting underserved communities in the cities she performs in. In cities throughout the tour, Beyoncé's BeyGOOD Foundation is providing 1,000 small business owners from marginalized communities with grant opportunities, celebration luncheons and resources to support entrepreneurship. Beyoncé is also donating scholarships worth $1 million to students in colleges and universities in cities along the tour.

Tour tickets will be distributed to local community initiatives in cities across the US.

Critical reception

The tour received rave reviews from critics, who praised the spectacle of the show. In a five-star review for ''The Guardian'', Malcolm Jack declared the tour "the greatest pop show on Earth", pushing "21st-century live entertainment another lavish leap forward". In another five-star review, ''The Scotsman'''s David Pollock described it as "the most essential stadium concert tour of the 21st century so far" and a game-changer for the music industry. Neil McCormick, chief music critic for ''The Telegraph'', also gave the show 5 out of 5 stars, remarking that "We've seen plenty of multimedia rock extravaganzas and state of the art pop spectaculars, but this was something else: a sci-fi stadium-scale superclub, the greatest disco in the known universe" while also praising Beyoncé's "absurdly powerhouse singing".

Kitty Empire declared the tour a "masterclass", describing it as a "banging, progressive, LGBTQ+-embracing, Afrofuturist extravaganza" that encourages concertgoers to feel joyous and liberated. ''Rolling Stone'''s Brittany Spanos described it as a "once-in-a-lifetime show", praising Beyoncé's vocal performance and crowd interaction. In a review for the ''Evening Standard'', Emma Loffhagen wrote that the tour pushes "the boundaries of 21st-century performance technology", with innovations including a UV-sensitive color-changing gown, a flying sequined horse and robotic arms. Describing it as "one of the most incredible live performances in recent memory", ''Refinery29'''s Alexis Jackson praised the tour's "visually stunning" and "elaborate" stage design.

Set list

This set list is obtained from the May 11, 2023, show in Stockholm, Sweden. It does not represent all shows throughout the tour.

;Opening Act
''"The Signboard" video introduction''
# "Dangerously in Love 2"
# "Flaws and All"
# "1+1" / "I'm Goin' Down"
# " I Care"
;Renaissance
''"Renaissance" interlude ''
#

"I'm That Girl"
# "Cozy"
# "Alien Superstar"
# " Lift Off"
''" 7/11" ''
;Motherboard
''"Motherboard" interlude ''
#

"Cuff It" / "Cuff It (Wetter Remix)"
# "Energy"
# "Break My Soul" / "Break My Soul ( The Queens Remix)
;Opulence
''"Opulence" interlude ''
#

"Formation"
# "Diva"
# "Run the World (Girls)"
# "My Power"
# " Black Parade"
# " Savage (Remix)"
# " Partition"
;Anointed
''"Anointed" interlude ''
#

"Church Girl"
# "Get Me Bodied"
# "Before I Let Go"
# " Rather Die Young"
# " Love on Top"
# "Crazy in Love"
''"Love Hangover" ''
#

"Plastic Off the Sofa"
# "Virgo's Groove" / " Naughty Girl"
# "Move"
# "Heated"
''" Already" ''
;Mind Control
''"Mind Control" interlude ''
#

"America Has a Problem"
# "Pure/Honey"
;Encore
#

"Summer Renaissance"

Additional notes

* At the opening night of the tour in Stockholm, Sweden, Beyoncé performed "Thique," "All Up in Your Mind," and "Drunk in Love" following the "Already" dance break. These songs were not performed at subsequent shows.
* Beginning with the May 20, 2023, show in Edinburgh, Scotland, Beyoncé incorporated elements of the remix of "America Has a Problem" featuring Kendrick Lamar in her performance of the song.
* At the May 26, 2023, show in Paris, France, the May 29, June 1, and June 3, 2023 shows in London, England, Beyoncé's daughter Blue Ivy Carter joined the stage to dance to "My Power" and " Black Parade". She officially was credited as a dancer in the official credits.
* At the May 29, May 30, and June 1 2023, shows in London, England, Beyoncé performed a cover of "River Deep – Mountain High" by Tina Turner during the show's first act, following Turner's recent death.

Shows

Notes

References

{{Beyoncé

2023 concert tours
Beyoncé concert tours
Concert tours of Belgium
Concert tours of Canada
Concert tours of Europe
Concert tours of France
Concert tours of Germany
Concert tours of North America
Concert tours of Spain
Concert tours of Sweden
Concert tours of Switzerland
Concert tours of the Netherlands
Concert tours of the United Kingdom
Concert tours of the United States
Scheduled events