Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour finale at Arrowhead affirmed she really is that girl

Beyonce performing Plastic Off the Sofa during the finale of the Renaissance World Tour. // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Arrowhead Stadium was a sea full of rhinestone-fringed rodeo hats, chrome, and sparkles on Oct 1 as fans gathered for the finale of the Renaissance World Tour.

Actress’ Falling Rizlas periodically booming over the speakers further added to the evening’s anticipation, while simultaneously leaving us all on edge for over two hours.

While the show was initially set to begin at 8 p.m., Beyonce delayed the start time by two hours to make sure that all attendees made it to the stadium safely amidst the hectic traffic. We stan a queen mother.

At 10 p.m. she took the stage with a breathtaking and ballad-heavy opening act featuring hits like “Dangerously in Love,” “Flaws and All,” and “1+1,” while giving tribute to the late Tina Turner in “River Deep Mountain High.”  This set the tone for the rest of the night, letting us know the mic was indeed, on.

“Every day I pray I’m able to give y’all all of my energy, and we give it back to each other and that’s what the Renaissance is about.”

And she did just that.

Renaissance World Tour. // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Throughout the night, she walked us through the entirety of the Renaissance album, while seamlessly weaving in classics from the rest of her discography. One of the most notable being “ALIEN SUPERSTAR” and “Sweet Dreams,” which ironically feel like they’ve always belonged together. Each act of the show featured its own visual interlude bridging the gap between the earlier stages of Beyonce’s career and the new era that she’s found herself in.

MOTHERBOARD served as an entry into the Renaissance as Beyonce emerged from the waters signifying the dawning of a new era while also paying homage to Black queer icons of the 80s.

When it came time for “ENERGY” I was hopeful that everyone near me had mustered up every ounce of self-control in their body for the extended mute challenge. I was quickly let down when a woman one row in front of me proceeded to talk while the majority of the stadium was quiet. Despite a few screams in the crowd, Beyonce deemed us quiet enough to be considered the winners.

OPULENCE highlighted the wealth and luxury of being a Black woman kicking off with women empowerment anthems “Formation,” “Diva,” and “Run the World (Girls),” followed by Blue Ivy Carter’s much anticipated final performance in “My Power” and “Black Parade” which resulted in a standing ovation from the crowd bringing her to tears. Beyonce even nodded to the 11-year-old’s infamous freestyle verse “Never seen a ceiling in my whole life,” while shouting out Blue’s fanbase, affectionately known as the Ivy League.

Renaissance World Tour. // Photo by Sarah Sipple

ANOINTED PT 1 & 2 featured upbeat feel-good hits like “Love on Top,” “Get Me Bodied,” and the sultry and sensual “PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA,” which Beyonce sang while sitting pretty inside a gigantic glitter seashell that I honestly wanted to climb up in.

As the night drew to a close, Beyonce surprised the crowd with the big three: “THIQUE,” “ALL UP IN YOUR MIND,” and “Drunk in Love,” which have been a rarity at recent shows. It felt good to be one of her favorites.

The final dance break of the night paid homage to the ballroom dance scene that inspired Renaissance.

The show ended on a high note as she sang ” Summer Renaissance” mid-air sitting atop a silver horse as glitter confetti filled the stadium. It was at this moment that we all realized the tour was over and we now had to resume life as normal. (Or so we thought.)

In pure Beyonce fashion, just moments after exiting the stage, she released a surprise trailer of her latest concert film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce, giving us an inside look into how the album and tour came to be, and confirming that her fans are the visuals.

It’ll be arriving to theaters Dec. 1. 

Renaissance World Tour. // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Setlist:

Dangerously in Love (“Dangerously in Love 2” version)
Flaws and All
1+1
I’m Going Down (Rose Royce cover)
I Care
River Deep, Mountain High (Tina Turner tribute)
I’M THAT GIRL
COZY
ALIEN SUPERSTAR
Lift Off (JAY Z & Kanye West cover)
7/11
CUFF IT
ENERGY
BREAK MY SOUL
Formation
Diva
Run the World (Girls)
MY POWER
BLACK PARADE
Savage (Remix)
Partition
CHURCH GIRL
Get Me Bodied
Before I Let Go (Maze featuring Frankie Beverly cover)
Rather Die Young
Love on Top
Crazy in Love
Love Hangover (Diana Ross)
PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA
VIRGO’S GROOVE
Naughty Girl
MOVE
HEATED
ALREADY
THIQUE
ALL UP IN YOUR MIND
Drunk in Love
AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM
PURE/HONEY
SUMMER RENAISSANCE