The World of Beyoncé's Renaissance

by Skylar Paxton

Beyoncé riding a lifted disco horse mannequin during the Stockholm show. Image from Guap

On February 1, 2023, Beyoncé announced the Renaissance World Tour after releasing the Renaissance album back in July of 2022. As Beyoncé performed from country to country in Europe to major cities in America, Beyhive fans became witnesses to an experience full of chrome lights, couture costumes, vogue performances, beautiful medleys and more. It was truly a sight to behold. 

I was fortunate enough to experience this tour in Inglewood at the SoFi stadium. I decked myself out in a full silver outfit after the queen herself requested this dress code for her birthday Virgo season on August 22. The second I bought the ticket, I knew I was going to see the most incredible performance ever. When the day finally came, it was more than anything I could have ever imagined. 

The show started off with a dramatic visual of Beyoncé’s bust in the center of the stage screen. A light swings around her as she sings the medley “WELCOME TO THE RENAISSANCE”. Her face constantly changes as if she is an eclipse herself. Slowly, she raises her head as she melodically welcomes her audience to the Renaissance that she has created for them. Everything turns black again. I knew I was going to be crying from the beauty and greatness of the show but I did not expect to cry right from the start. It was a remarkable entrance to the show and it set the stage (literally) for what was to come next. 

The show was broken into eight sections – opening act, “RENAISSANCE,” “MOTHERBOARD,” “OPULENCE,” “ANOINTED,” “ANOINTED PT 2,” “MEMORIES RUN THROUGH MY WIRES,” and “MIND CONTROL.” In between each of these sections were incredible visuals that established a world theme for that particular section. The visuals for “MOTHERBOARD” began with the voice of ballroom legend Kevin JZ Prodigy announcing the beginnings of house music. Remixed versions of classic songs from the genre begin playing beginning with “Good Life” by Inner City. Flash videos of Beyoncé adorned in electrical wires and blue lights as she swims in a clear pool can be seen. A quote is flashed on top of that, stating, “IMAGINATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWLEDGE” by Albert Einstein. The visual continues with Beyoncé dancing among flashing lights and images of wires.

The stage screen reading, “IMAGINATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWLEDGE” with Beyoncé swimming in a see-through tank in the background. Image taken from Indeed

The actual performance was a breathtaking showcase of the amazingness and imagination of the queen herself. Beyoncé opens with ballads of her own famous songs and others. This established how she is a singer first among her many other talents and X-factors. Among the list of songs she sang were “Dangerously in Love”, “Flaws and All”, “1+1”, “I Care”, and covers of “I’m Going Down” by Rose Royce and “River Deep, Mountain High” by the late Tina Turner. The queen of rock n’ roll and Beyoncé’s role model passed away around this time and Beyoncé has tributed her at every show since. 

The ballad that stood out to me the most was “Flaws and All,” as it’s such a simple yet impactful song on its own but was transformed and remixed in a way that brought so many tears to my eyes. The song is a celebration of love even if we don’t understand. This is just one of the many themes present in Beyoncé's tour. My favorite part was when she belts out the chorus near the end of the song. The brass horns explode behind her as Beyoncé belts every note and riff out. Her soul emanates from the song and it can be felt for miles. Being quite high up on that stadium and experiencing the waves of vibrations from her voice and the horns brought tears to my eyes. Hearing extraordinary music is one thing but actually feeling it was a reminder of Beyoncé’s incredible talent. 

Beyoncé’s opener look during the Inglewood show. Image taken from The Wrap

The rest of the show was truly a disco party of songs from the Renaissance album and other unforgettable Beyoncé hits. It should be noted that almost all of the songs were remixed to create an elevated experience for the audience. An example of this is “BREAK MY SOUL (THE QUEENS REMIX)” The original song is accompanied with shout-outs to other renowned queens such as Rosetta Tharpe, Santigold, Chloe and Halle, Nina Simone, Tierra Whack, Solange Knowles, and queen Madonna whose voice is featured in this remix. I like to think that the performance of this particular song was a favorite among Beyoncé and her dancers as the choreography is much more free, loose and celebratory than other numbers. The whole Renaissance album and tour experience is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and the culture of love, music, community, and activism they have created. “BREAK MY SOUL” really emphasizes that expression as vogue dancers pose and dip everywhere on stage. You can truly see the gratitude and the love Beyoncé is expressing while performing this song to the community. 

Beyoncé and her dancers performing and voguing to “Break my Soul.” Image taken from Esquire

The final song of the renaissance experience was “SUMMER RENAISSANCE” where Beyoncé comes out sitting atop a disco horse with a glimmering long cape. As she sings, she is lifted into the air (still riding the horse as an icon does). As the show came to an end, no one in the stadium could stop dancing and smiling. Beyoncé then came down just to fly back into the air signifying her thanks to everyone who experienced her renaissance. Silver confetti spilled into the air and all around me were feelings of immense joy and wonder. This show was truly the greatest experience of my entire life. I hope that the world of Beyoncé’s renaissance will be forever remembered and cherished in my mind.