Now when you go to Beyonce you expect power, energy, fierce choreography, stunningly good staging and to be completely blown away and not one of those boxes was left unticked as Queen B reigned over Sunderland on Tuesday night, albeit without a few of her best known songs.
In the lead up to the gig a lot was made about a. the fact she didn’t have a support act and b. the Renaissance tour setlist was minus some classics cuts from the Beyonce back catalogue.
Well, assessing both of the points - 1. Beyonce definitely does NOT need a support act and 2. Yes, while Single Ladies and Halo are two massive crowd pleasers, their absence wasn’t too noticed in a show that oozed sass, style and strength.
READ MORE: Beyoncé kicks off Sunderland gig by name checking city as Stadium of Light crowd go wild
While she is often compared to her peers, there really no performer quite like Beyonce. Forget about triple threat, she is an artist who has so much ammunition in her locker that she is a force to be reckoned with in any arena, or stadium for that matter.
Starting the concert off at a slower pace than you might expect from a production of its stature, Beyonce opened her account on Wearside with the title track of her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love.
It was almost like she was trying to lure her captive audience into a false sense of security by holding back on the big numbers to begin with. But when they came, boy did they come and come!
After the rather serious and angry tone of its predecessor Lemonade, Renaissance is like Beyonce if she was living out her Studio 54 fantasy. And the party vibe of the album is very much brought to life on stage for the tour, with a kitchen sink of fabulousness thrown at the show, with Beyonce rightfully front and centre.
Because, while there are some superb need to be seen to be believed special effects and striking visuals, it is Ms Carter, nee Miss Knowles, who is the star attraction and there is absolutely no mistaking that.
Newer tracks like Cuff It, Cosy and the juggernaut that is Break My Soul get just as big a reaction as the old school classics, with the matter’s merging with Madonna’s Vogue a stroke of pop culture genius.
While the production values of the Renaissance tour are top tier for sure, they at no point overshadow the presence and the talent of the name on the billboards.
With 40 songs in the set, Beyonce can easily be forgiven for cutting a few of them down, but the interlude of Get Me Bodied is a welcome nod back to her B’Day days, while the idea to segue from Alien Superstar into Sasha Fierce banger Sweet Dreams is an inspired move, as is the inclusion of fool proof crowd pleaser Run The World.
When many people think Beyonce, they think Crazy in Love and, the way she performed it in Sunderland on Tuesday left her needing no notes at all!
There have been various revamps of her debut number 1 over the years, but this was Beyonce in full ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it‘ mode, as she strutted for her life down a catwalk to a rapturous reception from her fans who threatened to combust with excitement at any given moment.
This was the Queen in her element - she didn’t come to play, she came to slay!
Naughty Girl is still as tantalizing and as teasing as it was in first listen 20 years while Renaissance tracks Virgo Groove and MOVE are just dripping with sex appeal.
The Donna Summer borrowed Summer Renaissance might not seem like an obvious choice to bring the curtain down but it was a perfect one.
Yes, the Renaissance tour might not be as hit laden as Sasha Fierce, or quite as in your face as Formation, but it should rightfully cement itself as another defining moment in a career of a star who is still very much at the top of the game.
There no doubt will have been some people who walked out of Tuesday night's gig disappointed that they didn't have the 'oh oh ohs' of Single Ladies echoing in their head or missed out on the opportunity to get goosebumps to Halo, but there is no denying is this was Beyonce in full control and playing to all of her strengths.
A Renaissance is like a comeback, a rebirth, a revival; but the fact of the matter is that Beyonce ain’t ever really been away.
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