Beyoncé Said No Phones, Fans Disobeyed
Attendees at Beyoncé’s private concert in Dubai celebrating the Atlantis the Royal hotel were asked not to record any of her performance. They were even given designated pouches in which to put their phones for safe keeping, but not everyone in the audience honored the queen’s wishes, and fans all over the world are grateful.
The invite-only concert was part of the Atlantis the Royal hotel’s unofficial opening, which also featured an Ivy Park fashion lounge by the pool. The event had plenty of celebrity attendees, including Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Ellen Pompeo, Kendall Jenner, Rebel Wilson, and Jay-Z.
This was Beyoncé’s first concert in four years, and based on photos and clips shared online, it was an absolute masterpiece. The show took place outdoors above and in front of a massive fountain.
Per Entertainment Tonight, Beyoncé performed with Firdaus, a 48-person all-female orchestra, and the Mayyas, a female dance troupe, with choreography from Fatima Robinson. The show included fireworks and a stunt where Beyoncé was lifted 16 feet in the air. Beyoncé wore three separate looks, featuring designs by Dolce & Gabbana, Atelier Zuhra from Dubai, Nicolas Jebran of Lebanon, and Ukraine’s Frolov, styled by KJ Moody.
And if just the details sound incredible, wait until you see the leaked videos of her rising up into the sky, hitting all the “Drunk in Love” notes as fireworks go off behind her. Other snippets leaked online show Beyoncé performing “Naughty Girl,” “Crazy in Love,” and “Brown Skin Girl,” which she sang with some help from her daughter Blue Ivy. The set list reportedly spanned her expansive career, though Variety reported that she didn’t perform any songs off of her most recent album, RENAISSANCE.
Normally, I would never condone anyone going against Beyoncé’s wishes by seeking out leaked footage, but even Lizzo admitted to watching the leaked show, tweeting that she watched the entire thing “on a IG live across a body of water of a hotel and I’m not ashamed.” Do with that information what you will.
The post Beyoncé Said No Phones, Fans Disobeyed was originally published on The Cut.
