Jay-Z and Beyoncé
*****
Wed 6 Jun, Principality Stadium
The beauty of the concert at the Principality Stadium being the first of the tour was that there was no set list doing the rounds on social media beforehand. No doubt that there are many amongst you who enjoy rehearsing the lyrics to every song before you go, so you don’t end up having to mumble some of the trickier verses and hope no one notices – but for me, the unknown added to the excitement.
After a lengthy video package, the pair descended to the stage, hand-in-hand and Beyoncé began gently stoking the flames of the crowd with a cover of the opening verse to Holy Grail, before Jay began his rap and emptied a full gallon of petrol on proceedings. As a side note, Jay-Z’s all white outfit with a gold pendant the size of a melon will definitely be this year’s Halloween costume.
Make no mistake, this was a greatest hits set, and with the pair having a back catalogue of over 25 albums, the crowd were never anything but enthralled as the duo used a blend of solo performances, official duets, and clever transitions – most notably a poignant combination of Beyoncé’s I Care, and Jay-Z’s 4: 44. Throughout the show, colossal screens were used to show the marital struggles the pair have been through in recent years, but the overwhelming message was one of reconciliation and love. Bey also used an interlude between two of her solo performances to confront the #MeToo movement, whilst Jay’s The Story Of O. J. dealt explicitly with issues of racism still prevalent in contemporary America.
It would a while to discuss all the intricacies of the production, from the lighting, to the revolving stage, to the dance routines, to the use of a contortionist; the concert felt much bigger and grander than anything I’d seen before.
Personal highlights for me were Public Service Announcement, where I was bopping my roc-nation diamond in the air thinking I was the height of cool, when no doubt, being 26 years old and balding I am quite the antithesis, and unquestionably the whitest man in attendance.
People will inevitably find issues with the concert, with noticeable emissions being Bey’s Halo and Single Ladies, and Jay’s Hard Knock Life. For this writer it was perhaps one of the best concert I’ve ever attended. After all, Jay-Z did warn us at the start of Dirt Off Your Shoulder, that we were listening to the motherfucking greatest.
words Rhys Fisher