When Beyonce first went solo, I became a fan, but not a big one. I wasn’t a follower of Destiny’s Child – although I heard/read about all the drama of the these girls out, these girls in and this girl out situation.
Her first two solo albums – Dangerously in Love and B’Day – weren’t on regular iPod rotation. I enjoyed her music, just not so much that I listened to her everyday.
Then along came I Am . . . Sasha Fierce. When it was first released, I didn’t rush to buy it. One day, however, my sister asked if I had seen the video for her single “If I Were a Boy.” I Youtubed it and went straight to iTunes and bought the album. (The video is just that good).
I found the album to be worthwhile and decided I would go see her when she started touring.
As I do whenever concerts are announced, I e-mailed my friends to see if anyone wanted to join me in the I Am . . . Sasha Fierce experience.
Everyone said no.
Resigned to attending the concert with myself, I received a text message from my sorority sister asking if I was interested.
Her text made my night.
On July 10, many months after I purchased the tickets, Princess and I were beyond ready to see if Beyonce was worth the $95 we paid for upper level arena seats (all lower level seats were priced at $125, hence the reason row after row was empty the night of the show).
Sasha Fierce was in full effect on July 10! Not only was Beyonce worth the $95, I would pay to see her again. I was really impressed with not only her performance, but all the scene changes, her all female band and the abs on her male backup dancers!
Their faces weren’t bad to look at either.
It’s obvious Beyonce put much thought and energy into the show. From the first note of "Crazy In Love" to the last note of "Halo," she gave the audience every bit of herself.
While Beyonce’s favorite song to sing on this tour is "Hello" (listening to the lyrics, I can understand why,) she only partially sang my favorite song, "Get Me Bodied." Even though this was the one song I was really looking forward to hearing, Beyonce sang enough songs over the course of two hours to leave the audience fully satisfied.
She covered her own hits, as well as those from Destiny’s Child, Alanis Morisette, Shakira, Etta James and Sarah McLachlan.
“Ladies, I believe we have to support each other – we need each other. That’s why my band is all female,” she said before launching into "Me, Myself and I."
My favorite moment of the night was her special dedication to Michael Jackson – which brought tears my eyes for the umpteen time.
The other was the montage of videos showing people dancing to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)." Most were downright hilarious!
I know Beyonce is still young (27), but the energy she exuded during the entire show was inspiring. I left the arena having a sense of the time and dedication Beyonce gives to being the best performer she can.
After witnessing her performance, I can honestly say I’ll probably be a Beyonce fan for years to come.
Me
- Soul Sista D
- Bay Area, CA, United States
- Music wakes me and keeps me going all day, every day. I’ve had a love for music since childhood, and it’s only intensified as I’ve matured. Musings On Music was inspired by Kenny Lattimore. I saw him perform in 2008 and realized there was something in his music that spoke to me on a level which said I needed to write about what I witnessed. I’ve been writing ever since.
