Beyoncé Delivers an Epic, Inspiring Show for Hometown Crowd
First of two H-Town stops urges a renaissance for all of us
By David Brendan Hall, 6:03PM, Sun. Sep. 24, 2023
There’s no place like home.
Forgive the cliché, but the sentiment of that classic quote from The Wizard of Oz was undeniably the backbone of Beyoncé’s hometown show on Saturday at NRG Stadium, the first of two sold-out Houston stops on her record-breaking Renaissance World Tour.
“Tonight H-Town is goin’ down … I can travel to every country in this world but you ain’t never gonna take the country outta this girl,” she said after kicking things off with Destiny’s Child song “Dangerously In Love.”
That track off the trio’s 2001 chart-topping album Survivor is the standard opener on this tour, but it carried infinitely more impact here in the city of the superstar group’s origins, especially with former members Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett looking on from one of the VIP platforms toward the back of the room.
To the doubtless dismay of many in the audience, there was no onstage reunion, but that was sensible – the absolutely astounding futuristic-space-themed production was squarely steeped in Beyoncé’s personal journey through her 25-year career, and the significant contributions of the loyal fans she’s taken along for the ride.
I’d consider myself one those faithful – my introduction to her incomparable live performances fittingly began with Mrs. Carter’s last appearance at this venue on the 2016 Formation World Tour – and by the time I’d made the trek back to Austin, slept a few hours and begun processing Saturday’s experience, I myself felt a bit more like Dorothy waking from her surreal slumber.
Could it have all been just a dream? Did she really run through the entirety of overwhelmingly ballroom-house-infused Renaissance in sequential order, plus selections from each of her other six albums, totaling 37 songs over nearly three hours? Did she actually cruise out on a chrome moon rover in the wake of her 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter leading the dazzling dance troupe to the center-floor B-stage during the militant march of “Black Parade”? Did my eyes deceive me, or did fellow Houstonian Megan Thee Stallion appear for her 2020 banger “Savage”? And what about the vision of Bey belting out “Summer Renaissance” as she floated above the crowd like a sparkling angel to end the electrifying extravaganza?
Obviously, I’m speaking in hyperbole – of course it was all real. But that’s pretty much Beyoncé’s point: demonstrating how seemingly fanciful visions – and on a more realistic level, any hopes and dreams one can conceive of – can be willed into existence. The over-the-top visuals were proof enough. A stage-spanning screen featured a circular portal dead center, which opened for each song to trigger different scenes: the full band decked out in chrome on grandstand during various songs; a giant disco ball floating out above the audience for the deep-house medley of “Plastic Off Sofa,” “Virgo’s Groove,” and “Naughty Girl” while Bey laid within an enormous silver clam shell; the enigmatic singer decked out in a superhero-esque bee suit to command her matching dancers on “America Has a Problem”; fireworks and flames aplenty.
The Renaissance Tour is perhaps the pinnacle of Beyoncé’s artistic mythology made real and its impact is unfathomable, especially for some of the many younger folks in attendance, plus the countless others worldwide who’ve witnessed the show. The Beyhive hasn’t convened since 2016, so it stands to reason many of these fans were waiting a third to half their lives to see this, and others, driven to the show by their parents, hadn’t even been born yet when Beyoncé toured last.
That’s where Beyoncé’s vision hits a home run: The whole concept of a renaissance – artistic, emotional, sexual – comes at pivotal moments in life, when the feeling of being part of something bigger than oneself becomes most prevalent. Every part of the production was designed to make permanent, life-shaping memories, analogous to the experiences, books, and movies that inform one’s psyche as a child (something like The Wizard of Oz, to bring things full circle). Beyond that, it’s not a stretch to say this show could end up being more formative for some than a first kiss, or a high school graduation.
With her jaw-dropping vocal range and alien-level athleticism propping up every song, she very nearly embodies a level of godliness. Yet, homing in on other details that make up the bigger picture – particularly her inspirational interjections throughout – it’s more accurate to describe Beyoncé as a maternal figure on a mission to encourage determination (with a hefty dash of humility) to achieve any sort of imaginable personal growth, especially, in this case, among her hometown kin.
“Houston, I’ve been waiting this whole tour to perform for my people,” she said as she floated away on wires, amid clouds of sparkling confetti.
“I hope you are transformed,” she continued. “I hope you take it in your heart and spread it everywhere you go.”
I’d like to imagine that upon hearing that, people walked away feeling as if – with guidance from a mother figure who’s seen so much of the world and pushed the boundaries of material creativity – they’re entering their own renaissance. Or, at least now they’ll be ready to.
Setlist:
Dangerously in Love (Destiny's Child song)
Flaws and All
1+1
I'm Going Down (Rose Royce cover)
I Care
River Deep, Mountain High (Ellie Greewich cover)
I’m That Girl
Cozy
Alien Superstar
Lift Off (Jay-Z and Kanye West cover)
Cuff It
Energy
Break My Soul
Formation
Diva
Run the World (Girls)
My Power
Black Parade
Savage Remix (Megan Thee Stallion cover)
Partition
Church Girl
Get Me Bodied
Before I Let Go (Maze ft. Frankie Beverly cover)
Rather Die Young
Love on Top
Crazy in Love
Plastic Off the Sofa
Virgo’s Groove
Naughty Girl
Move
Heated
Thique
All Up in Your Mind
Drunk in Love
America Has a Problem
Pure/Honey
Summer Renaissance
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Beyonce, Renaissance World Tour, Beyoncé
