Beyonce Knowles hit Melbourne with a huge dose of diva last night, proving exactly why she’s succeeded in selling a massive 75 million records to date. Review by Jordana Borensztajn.
The former Destiny’s Child lead singer sparkled on stage for more than two hours, putting in an exceptional effort considering she would have been incredibly jetlagged – not to mention emotionally drained – after the very public Kanye debacle at this week’s VMA awards.
Beyonce made no mention of Kanye’s attack on Taylor Swift and instead invested her energy into delivery fans an experience that was packed with costume changes, meticulous choreography, impressive stage sets, and plenty of killer songs.
Her musical entourage was impressive; three back-up singers, two keyboardists, two drummers, two killer guitarists… And best of all, they were all chicks. In fact, Beyonce admitted that empowering women was one of her passions. “I wanna say once again, I'm very happy to be here in Australia,” she told the crowd. “One thing I believe is I'm here to empower all the ladies out there because I believe we have to stick together. Which is why every musician on stage… They're all women.”
While the night oozed with highlights, some of the stand-out parts were Beyonce’s sexy and seductive cover of “At Last,” an explosive and unforgettable rendition of “Single Ladies,” and a very moving tribute to Michael Jackson.
The multi-Grammy award winning artist told the crowd Jacko was her major music inspiration and sang a special version of "Halo" to honor the King of Pop. "Michael we can feel your halo,” she sang. “I prey you won’t fade away. Melbourne, can’t you feel it.”
The crowd didn’t just yell or cheer for Beyonce, they howled. In fact, the screams got so loud at points, it felt like the Rod Laver's roof could have blown right off. Despite the fame and fortune she’s come into, the megastar appears to have retained some of the ‘ghetto’ in her and comes across as being down to earth and very focused on making her fans feel like they’re important. Whether it’s genuine or not, it’s a sure-fire way to ensure that demand will see Beyonce back in Australia before we know it.
Jessica Mauboy also put on an impressive opening performance. While her two male dancers paled in comparison to Beyonce’s enormous stage crew, she also won over the crowd, rousing huge cheers for some of her biggest hits to date, “Because,” “Been Waiting,” and her newbie, “Up/Down.”
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