Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER TOUR- ATLANTA – A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
By Sonya Jenkins
Beyoncé’s performance on night two of her four-night Atlanta tour stop was a spectacle of infectious song and dance with shimmering, glitzing, and glamorous Broadway-style stage fanfare at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Friday, June 11. In her iconic, colorful shining armor, Beyoncé soared high above her audience while sitting pretty on an oversized horseshoe and then a gold robotic horse. The occurrence sounds like a fairytale, but it was a reality for the sold-out crowd of “Beehives” (Beyoncé’s dedicated fan base). Beyoncé, affectionately known as Queen Bey, understood the assignment and delivered an extraordinary performance that surpassed any live show I’ve witnessed. I’ve attended decades of concerts and several of Queen Bey’s concerts over the years, including when she performed with Destiny’s Child over 20 years ago. For Cowboy Carter night in Atlanta, Beyoncé truly outdid herself. Her fans “booted up” and got prissy in festive attire, donning cowboy chapeaux for the occasion.
While some of Beyoncé’s intriguing acrobatic-like moments made me a bit jittery, especially considering the Cadillac prop that titled while she was high above the audience at one of her Houston shows just a few weeks prior, the performer’s fearlessness helped to dissolve the rambunctious crowd’s apprehensions, as well as mine, as we mostly video-recorded Beyoncé’s “up-high” moments in awe. Amidst breathtaking heights and an almost three-hour show, the multiple Grammy-winner stunned in her opening act by singing songs “The Star Spangled Banner,” “Freedom” “Ya Ya,” “Oh Louisiana” and more. The already hyped crowd went into controlled pandemonium when Beyoncé performed “Texas Hold ‘Em,” “Crazy in Love,” and a rendition of Frankie Beverly’s “Before I Let Go,” where a video of the late Beverly was added as a sing-along. Beyoncé also performed songs from her Destiny’s Child album, which included “Say My Name” and “Bills, Bills, Bills” – songs that catapulted her career to new heights.
Fans eagerly awaited the stage appearances of Beyoncé’s daughters, Blu Ivy Carter, a “dancing machine,” and Rumi Carter, whom I affectionately nicknamed “RUMInergy” due to her electrifying energy on stage. Blu Ivy and Rumi have undoubtedly inherited the commanding stage presence of both their mother and their father, Jay-Z. Fans were captivated by the Carter girls.
The solidarity of the crowd moved attendees to connect with each other in a way that felt more like a Cowboy Carter family reunion than a tour. Even after viewing many snippets and videos on social media platforms since the tour began, the show gave me and the attendees more than we expected – pleasant surprises – with Beyoncé’s smooth vocals, which sometimes gave way to rap and powerful sounds. The Cowboy Carter Tour will be remembered as one of the best tours in music history. In a nutshell, the only jargon I can say for Beyoncé and her ensemble is a resounding “Yee-Haw!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
SURPRISE INVITE, SURPRISE GUEST – JAY-Z PERFORMANCE
As if the adrenaline rush of Night Two of Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER TOUR in ATLANTA wasn’t enough for me, I decided to attend Night Four as well, thanks to a friend’s invitation. The show was even more electrifying, and the crowd went wild when Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z, joined her on stage. Not only did he perform “Crazy In Love” with her, but he also performed his hit songs, “Public Service Announcement” and “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me).” I tried to hold back my excitement as I recorded Jay-Z’s performance. Check out the video below.
