Silver stallions, icons of ballroom, and a mammoth mirrorball soaring over the audience. This is just a handful of the many stunts Beyoncé pulled at her Renaissance World Tour show in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Not since 2018, at On The Run II’s opening night has Cardiff seen a Beyoncé production. A lot has happened in five years, and the Welsh Beyhive were ready for another taste. Doors opened at 5.30pm, but fans like me turned up well in advance to seize a perfect spot in the crowd. Taking my place in the queue for Club Renaissance, it was game on.
Kicking off the performance with emotive ballads Dangerously In Love, Flaws And All, 1+1 and I Care, Beyoncé reinstated her singer status to the Cardiff crowd with powerful, effortless vocals. A simple but moving introduction quickly turned into a dancefloor frenzy, chrome visuals taking us through the MPC-driven prologue and welcoming us to the Renaissance.

A snapshot of the first half of Renaissance flies by. Married with high-end production, Beyoncé strutted out of a robotic chrome suit for I’m That Girl and stepped between two metal frames contorting around her as she busted out the choreography for Cozy. The non-stop run of Cuff It, Energy and Break My Soul transported the crowd into a disco-funk fever dream, culminating in a giant glittery horse being pushed out onstage.
Preceding a series of costume changes, Beyoncé returned with hits Formation, Diva, and Run The World, giving us a taste of her classic boss bitch iconography – only to somehow dethrone herself and reinsert her music royalty status aboard a mechanic tank while belting Black Parade. Of course, singles Love On Top and Crazy In Love did not fail to make an appearance, and the night was brought right down to a smooth, groovy vibe through Beyoncé’s delicate vocal riffs on Plastic Off The Sofa and Virgo’s Groove.

The Renaissance World Tour’s production values are in blockbuster-budget territory, bringing the message of its attendant album to fruition. In the show’s final act, Beyoncé gave us news anchor realness in custom Mugler for America Has A Problem, a 90s-rap-inspired track that immediately transcended into the fierce Pure/Honey and a dance interlude like no other. Bringing ballroom to the home of Welsh rugby, Beyoncé gave her dancers the freedom to express their queerness in a friendly vogue battle royale, giving face, hands, and dips galore.
As a sample of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love echoed through the stadium for the finale and Summer Renaissance, Beyoncé showed that a queen’s exit must leave its mark on the spectators. No one could possibly forget the sight of the vocalist on horseback levitating over the crowd, transporting her back to the main stage into a storm of silver confetti fit for only a legend of her prestige.
Beyoncé, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wed 17 May
words ROWAN DAVIES photos MASON POOLE / ANDREW WHITE
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