On Saturday, January 21, Beyoncé made a return to the stage at the opening of a resort in Dubai — for an audience of hand-picked celebrities, media organisations, and influencers.
For her first live show since her poignant Kobe Bryant tribute in 2020, she was allegedly paid $24 million to perform at the opening of the Atlantis the Royal hotel, which will start taking room reservations in February.
Though the recording of the concert was strictly prohibited, with guests asked to place their phones in plastic bags, leaked footage instantly went viral across social media.
Beyoncé opened the show with a rendition of Etta James’ “At Last,” which was followed by hits like 2008’s “Halo,” 2003’s “Crazy in Love,” and her first performance of “Beautiful Liar,” a 2006 collaboration with Shakira, in 15 years, Paper.com reports.
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The evening also included an appearance by Bey and Jay-Z’s 11-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, who performed a duet of the Grammy award-winning song “Brown Skin Girl” with her mother. The song also features Nigerian superstar singer, Wizkid.
During the performance, Beyoncé wore a yellow gown by the Dubai-based Atelier Zuhra, while Blue Ivy wore a red sequined suit. Beyoncé’s other outfits included a red gown and pants ensemble by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran.
Despite her characteristically flawless performance, the 41-year-old singer’s decision to perform in Dubai has drawn some criticism from commentators — given the fact that homosexuality is illegal and same-sex activity is punishable by death in the United Arab Emirates.
It’s worth pointing out Beyoncé did not perform any tracks from her 2022 album RENAISSANCE, which earned acclaim for paying tribute to the sounds of queer club music. However, many still criticized the choice to appear in Dubai.
Ahead of the event, Pitchfork reported that journalists from a number of publications had been invited to an “once-in-a-lifetime performance” with a surprise musical act, which was later revealed to be Beyoncé.
Attendees included select media, and influencers, as well as celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Rebel Wilson, Liam Payne, Chloe x Halle, Letitia Wright, and the Swedish House Mafia.
On Saturday, Beyoncé’s publicist distributed a media alert about her performance of “At Last” accompanied by some official footage from the concert. They noted that there was “more to come.”
During a live auction in October 2022, Beyoncé confirmed an upcoming RENAISSANCE World Tour for Summer 2023, though no general access dates have been released yet.
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