Toni Morrison once said “if you surrender to the air, you can ride it”.
And that’s exactly what Beyoncé did during her iconic Coachella performance on 14 April 2018. The world witnessed magic, with some calling it ‘historic’ , and it was certainly a ‘Beychella’ affair.
Thousands watched her live while millions streamed the performance, and the massively publicised event made Beyoncé the first black woman ever to headline the festival after 20 years of its existence.
It’s no surprise that everything Beyoncé touches turns platinum. Receiving US$4 million for her two-hour show, the singer used exclusive footage to premiere ‘Homecoming’ on Netflix, a reiteration of her Coachella performance, earning her about US$60 million. We stan a financially savvy queen!
Released over Easter, ‘Homecoming’ created quite a buzz before its premiere because everyone wanted a glimpse of Queen B and they got it. Rocking a silver ensemble with a walking stick to match (we wouldn’t even be surprised if it was diamond-encrusted), the queen of performances shut down the stage as her dancers pulled off moves they only remembered after months of training.
One of the most memorable outfits Beyoncé donned were her yellow and pink jerseys and booty shorts, but her Balmain catsuits stole attention as well. You better believe the crowd went wild at the sight of the singer.
Dancers got in formation with songs such as ‘Crazy In Love’, ‘Sorry’, ‘Freedom’ and a host of hits Beyoncé has released over the years. “We rehearsed at Texas Southern University. I always dreamt of going to a historically black college and university (HBCU),” Beyoncé said during the documentary.
“My college was Destiny’s Child. My college was travelling around the world and life was my teacher.” As for the details of the show, the star elaborated on how she wanted the black college experience for her performance, refusing to let everyone do the same thing. “The amount of swag is just limitless. I want this to be an experience where we all have growth. I want us to feel each other’s energy.”
One of Beyoncé’s dancers, Amandy Fernández, who worked with her in the ‘Run The World’ music video, told Oprah Magazine that the experience with Beyoncé was incredible. “I was very excited because I know that everything she does is major, and I’d never performed at Coachella, so I was ecstatic about that.”
The show featured a short dance with Solange for ‘Get Me Bodied’ while her husband Jay-Z and Destiny Child’s Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland joined her as well. Beyoncé put a lot of emphasis on the behind-the-scenes by making sure the major players were black women, both known and unknown. For the opening act, for example, Beyoncé brought entertainer Venzella Joy on board who stunned the audience with her skills on the drums.
‘Homecoming’ also spawned a live album featuring an exclusive cover of ‘Before I Let Go’.
On Tuesday, Beyoncé posted several snaps of fans showing off their dance moves to the tune, so kudos to them for their five seconds of fame.
Expect more behind-the-scenes looks and what Queen B had to do to make the show epic, including going on a dangerous diet for a couple of months.
If you already watched the performance last year, we suggest you give it a miss unless you really love Beyoncé and need to watch the show all over again because as they say, the BeyHive never sleeps.
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