Coachella started the whole thing, it was the beginning of the stellar Beyonce’ movement that we are still experiencing. For two nights, Beyonce’ dominated Coachella, as the first Black and female artist to headline the California Festival. Beyonce squired Black Paris fashion designer Olivier Rousteing, who heads up the House of Balmain, the French fashion powerhouse, to create the stage costumes for her and her large cast of 100 dancers, background singers and a marching band, who were all involved in this gigantic production. From that show, came a collaboration between the star and the designer to create a limited edition collection of the embellished hoodies and Ts, with the proceeds from sales going to charity, benefitting the United Negro College Fund. This was on top of the $100,000. Beyonce’ donated from her Coachella appearance to four historically Black colleges.
POWER COUPLE TOUR
Right after Coachella, which was re-named “Beychella” because of Beyonce’s incredible impact on the festival, the iconic superstar kicked off the `On The Run’ (OTR 11) Tour, with her rap-superstar husband Jay Z. The successful tour runs for some six months, kicked off in London in June and is currently in motion (we will touch down on that later in this reportage).
HISTORIC VOGUE MAGAZINE COVER
Now, every pop culture outlet and social media platform is buzzing about her Vogue Magazine cover for the September issue of the publication. Beyonce’ had full creative control over the styling, direction and editorial content of this special project. She hired 23-year-old photographer Tyler Mitchell to shoot the cover and the inside content images. It was the first time in Vogue Magazine’s 126-year-old history, that a Black photographer was hired to shoot the cover. That in itself is a mind-blowing slice of history. The inside content story was all Beyonce – in her own words, writing her own story, as well as selecting images and crafting all of the captions and taglines. Worthy of note; the September issue of magazines is usually the most important, and, best sellers of the year.
Beyonce Vogue Cover
BLACK COVERS RULE
It is also important to note that for the first time, 12 popular magazines are featuring Black women on their September covers including: Porter (Lupita Nyong’o) Marie Claire (Zendaya) Ebony (Issa Ray) Glamour (Tiffany Haddish) Bazaar (Nicki Minaj) Essence (Naomi Campbell) Hollywood Reporter (Yara Shahidi) Vogue U.K.(Rihanna) Elle (Tracee Ellis Ross) W (Tiffany Haddish) and O (Oprah Winfrey…of course).
ELABORATE MOBILE SET
All of this action is happening in the middle of Beyonce’ and Jay Z’s `On the Run 11 Tour’. Touching down in New York/New Jersey area, at MetLife Stadium, we caught the heat last weekend and experienced this first class couple in all their glory. They are definitely a force to be reckoned with in terms of stage persona and vocal excellence. First, and ever-present was the MASSIVE stage, aided by two extremely long runways with moveable conveyor belts on the sides. Then, on top of all that (literally) was the huge raised platform that was elevated, and, then moved forward between the runways above the audience members gathered in that section. Imagine the feeling of Jay and Bey actually performing while in movement, above your head, while you dance and absorb the couple’s essence, from a whole other level of astonishment. This platform movement happened in various parts of the show.
THE WARM-UP
Up and coming rising stars Chloe & Halle opened the show from one end of the stage, and pretty much stayed there with cute harmonies and mild vibes. DJ Khalid really got the party started on the far end of the stage. His energetic performance was peppered by guest appearances from Remy Ma, Busta Rhymes, Asap Ferg, Beanie Segal and Christian “King” Combs (Puffy’s son).
GRAND ENTRANCE
By the time Beyonce’ and Jay Z hit the stage, the audience of 82,500 spectators were beyond ready. The huge backdrop became a screen for snippets from videos and live shots of both stars and their beautiful children. An all-female band in a blaze of red were positioned in tiered boxes, some five stories high, which gave a sophisticated cabaret effect to the situation, as the couple was lowered in a see-through elevator to the stage level. They plowed through hit after hit in a well-oiled performance that had the audience screaming, singing and dancing for two and a half hours of sheer bliss.
Beyonce & Jay Z
SPECTACULAR FASHION SELECTION ON STAGE
On stage, Jay Z proved to be a true rap-rock star, even his look has evolved. His afro is growing out to become a mass of dreadlocks in it’s beginning the stage. This was a perfect fit next to Beyonce’s glam costumes, she paid homage to several designers while sticking to basics like shiny thigh high boots, sparkling body-suits, and a few dazzling gowns were her staple fashion choices. Jay-Z’s fashion game was also on point with some classic pieces mixed with his B-boy swagger. Beyonce’s entrance maker was a white and silver studded Balmain bodysuit. She later changed into a plaid bodysuit and matching crop jacket by Burberry. Her squad of about 20 dancers rocked contrasting bodysuits that spelled `sexy.’ Beyonce killed a black vinyl bodysuit by Gareth Pugh while Mr. Carter kept up with his wife in a contrasting black ensemble. Her amazing vocals were certainly a match for Jay’s rapid-fire rapping, mixed with his new work, spiced by duets from the new album, as well as popular oldies. For `Deja Vu’, Beyonce donned a fringed, jeweled Roberto Cavalli number featuring a long caped overcoat in purple. New designer Shahar Avnet created the long satin gown with a flowing train and high front split for her emotional rendition of `Baby Dad.’ For the finale’ Beyonce wore an elegant black Givenchy gown adorned with silver crystals, as Jay joined her for another ride on that moveable platform. It was a fitting end to an amazing show of love, talent, and togetherness.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
If you haven’t caught the OTR 11 Tour, there are still some tickets left for the remainder of the tour which ends on October 4, in Seattle, Washington. Some of the upcoming tour dates and cities include Detroit MI (August 13). Atlanta GA (August 24 & 25). Orlando FL (August 29). Miami FL (August 31). New Orleans LA (September 13). Houston, Texas (September 15 & 16). Los Angeles CA (September 22 & 23).
