BROOKLYN, New York — “This gift gives you power,” Beyoncé says in voiceover during one of the video shorts that peppers her Mrs. Carter World Tour set. On Saturday night, the first of a three-night set at the Barclays Center, concertgoers beheld the power that is Queen Bey.
Without almost nothing in the way of new material since the 2011 release of her sublime R&B record, 4, Shawn Carter‘s better half proved her deep catalog was more than enough to mount a thrilling two-hour show, complete with bursts of pyro and awe-inducing walls of glitter. She even reached back into her girl-group grab bag for a fist-pumping rendition of “Survivor.”
The Almighty Bey may not actually be capable of but between donning a cape for “If I Were a Boy,” and flying over the throngs for “Irreplaceable,” it’s hard not to believe Beyoncé is a pop superhero, with real super powers. Here are a few other things we learned.
“This Is Not The Show For You To Sit In Your Seats.”
That was Beyoncé’s decree near the start of the concert. “This is not the show for you to be cool,” she lovingly scolded. And she was right. From the dancehall-infused wine of “Naughty Boy” to the Vegas-inspired take on “Party,” it was standing room only in Brooklyn. The trio of cute boys in white tanks and short shorts got to practice all of their choreography.
Beyoncé Can Make A Sitcom Theme Song Sound Like A Smash Song.
Midway through her matrimonial kiss-off, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It),” Bey segued into the classic theme for rags-to-riches sitcom “The Jeffersons.” Remixing a few of the lines for good measure, she ladled the lyrics with attitude — and the crowd feasted on it.
Beyoncé Should Play Tina Turner In The Next Biopic.
Back at the 2008 Grammys, Bey took the stage with the legendary Tina, but it’s clear she hasn’t stopped watching the film. At the Barclays, the 31-year-old took the stage in a sparkly green, fringed mini for an explosive performance of “Why Don’t You Love Me?” As she turned to shake it from the back in sky-high heels, Beyoncé effortlessly channeled the ’80s icon with a flair that was so right-now, and so begging for the big-screen.
Actually, Beyoncé Should Play Whitney Houston In The Next Biopic.
OK, so maybe she won’t be a casting director’s first choice to play the fallen diva but a funny thing happened when Beyonceé dove into the opening verse of the late Houston’s signature “I Will Always Love You”: A fan turned to us and asked, “Is this really happening right now?” He wasn’t a sequin-sporting Stan, just a regular guy on a date, who wanted to make sure we were seeing what he was: An icon-in-the-making.
The Bey Hive Thinks Beyoncé Is Perfect.
Though she dedicated the song “Flaws and All” to her fans, the endless chorus of girls on the floor of the Barclays gushing, “She’s perfect,” between shooting Instagram videos, seemed to fly in the face of Bey’s lyrical assertions that she’s “A train wreck in the morning / A bitch in the afternoon.” Unlike the Rihanna’s or the Katy Perry’s who we bond with for their “just like us” quality — on a magnified scale, of course — Beyoncé is a different breed of pop star. Aspirational, even when she gets her weave caught in a fan.
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