By Miguel A. Melendez, ETOnline.com. Published: Last updated:
Beyoncé is the Queen B for a reason. Her mere presence draws Hollywood royalty.
That’s exactly what happened as Beyoncé kicked off Night 1 of her Renaissance World Tour in Los Angeles on Friday night at SoFi Stadium. The evening got off to a strong start with DJ Khaled doing what he does best, hyping up the masses!
The “Bugatti” rapper also brought onstage with him a number of stars, including Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Offset, Wiz Khalifa and more. For those who couldn’t make Night 1 need not worry. Bey’s slated to perform again Saturday night and then again on Labor Day.
Friday night’s sold-out concert drew a horde of A-listers who couldn’t contain their excitement and documented their experience on social media. From Tracee Ellis Ross, Gabrielle Union and Sarah Paulson to Issa Rae, Chance the Rapper, Robin Thicke and Kelly Rowland, everyone had blast experiencing one of this generation’s best performers.
Bey’s performance was so captivating, a group that included Jay-Z, Kris Jenner and Offset busted out the electric slide on the dance floor!
Here’s a list of celebrities who turned up for Night 1 of Bey’s tour in L.A.
LOS ANGELES, August 21, 2023 (Newswire.com)
– The Lemon Law Experts, a California Lemon Law Firm, is proud to introduce the Lemonade Contest—a social media video contest centered around Beyoncé’s acclaimed “Lemonade” album. This event embraces musical expression, community impact, and creative engagement.
Beyond their legal endeavors, the Lemon Law Experts are strongly committed to uplifting their local community and have partnered with various non-profits throughout California. They firmly believe that nurturing a strong and vibrant community enriches the lives of all its members.
With this enduring spirit, The Lemon Law Experts are thrilled to introduce the Lemonade Contest. Entrants are invited to lip-sync to a song from Beyoncé’s Lemonade album for a chance to win two tickets to her concert on September 2, 2023, at SOFI Stadium.
Submitting a video through social media by 11:59 PM on August 25th grants a chance to enjoy an unforgettable night of vibrant music. Participants are encouraged to explore their creativity while adhering to guidelines.
We invite all Californians to participate in the “Lemon Law Experts’ Lemonade Contest” and showcase their creativity while supporting our community initiatives.
For full details, guidelines, and entry information, please visit the Lemonade Contest Page. Be a part of this balanced fusion of community and creativity!
The last few weeks have fallen a bit short of “Good As Hell” for Lizzo: In early August, three of the singer’s former backup dancers announced that they’d filed a lawsuit against Lizzo and her touring production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, as well as her dance captain, Shirlene Quigley. The suit cites disability discrimination, failure to protect against religious and sexual harassment on the job, and assault, among other allegations.
While some of Lizzo’s former associates have come out to voice their support for the backup dancers making the allegations, others have come to the singer’s defense. On Thursday, the Big Grrrls and Big Boiiis, as Lizzo’s touring backup dancers are known, took to their official Instagram page to post a lengthy statement of support for their embattled frontwoman.
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“We have had the time of our lives on the Special tour,” the statement begins. They go on to thank Lizzo for “shattering limitations and kicking in the door way for the Big Grrl& Big Boiii Dancers to do what we love!” They said that they felt “honored to share the stage with such amazing talent.”
In the account’s Instagram Stories, they link to a week-old post by one of the Big Boiiis, Alexx Mayo, who captioned a celebratory post about the end of the tour with “So grateful to have had such an incredible journey on tour with the most beautiful souls. Thank you to @lizzobeeating for your kindness, generosity and light you share to this world. 💖” alongside a grinning photo of himself high-fiving Lizzo.
The Stories also linked to a post by Big Grrrl Shelby Swain, with her caption reading in part, “LIZZO I love your kindness , I love your Strength, I love the way you love people. How you encourage, inspire and motivate your many fans every night. Giving them strength, encouragement and motivation letting them know they are Special 💅🏾✨💅🏾! FUCK THE HATERS”
The Big Grrrls account is verified by Instagram, but it’s unclear who is doing the posting—the Big Grrrls are employees of Lizzo.
At the 2022 Emmys, Lizzo took home the statuette for best competition series for her show Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, in which she searched for her beloved squad of backup dancers. She shouted them out onstage in her acceptance speech, alongside an emotional message of diversity, positivity, and acceptance.
“When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media,” she said. “Someone fat like me. Black like me. Beautiful like me.” Then, Lizzo said, she realized, “Bitch, it’s gon’ have to be you.”
“Make some noise for my Big Grrrls!” she directed the crowd.
Another gesture of support for Lizzo amidst her legal woes came from none other than Queen Bey herself: after appearing to remove a reference to Lizzo from her live performances of “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)” Beyoncé has not only returned the shoutout to her stage performance, but doubled down on her public love earlier this week at a show in Atlanta, shouting, “Lizzo! I love you, Lizzo!” in the song.
Lizzo has been quiet on her own social media accounts since issuing a forceful denial against the claims in the suit, calling them “unbelievable.”
Beyoncé seemingly supported Lizzo by giving her a shout-out amid the “Truth Hurts” singer’s ongoing lawsuit filed by her former dancers.
Lizzo, a well-known advocate for body positivity, is being sued by several of her former dancers for alleged weight shaming and sexual harassment. The Grammy winner has publicly denied and spoken out against the allegations, calling the claims “false.”
On Monday night, during Queen Bey’s performance of “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix),” the pop star mentioned Lizzo’s name.
“Lizzo! I love you, Lizzo!” Beyoncé, currently on her massive Renaissance World Tour, said in a viral clip captured during her recent show in Atlanta.
Beyoncé’s name drop of the pop star comes just a few weeks after she omitted the “It’s About Damn Time” singer’s name in the lyrics of the same track during a show in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Aug. 1, the same day the lawsuit made headlines.
Beyoncé lists several iconic Black women in the tune, singing the lyrics “Betty Davis, Solange Knowles, Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl’, Lauryn Hill, Roberta Flack.”
But during that specific performance, Beyoncé seemingly altered the lyrics, apparently skipping over Lizzo’s name.
Neither Beyoncé’s nor Lizzo’s reps immediately responded to HuffPost’s request for comment.
The Grammy winner’s mom, Tina Knowles, stepped in to defend Beyoncé earlier this month amid the rumors that she forwent mentioning Lizzo in response to the lawsuit.
“She also didn’t say her own sisters name yal should really stop,” commented Lawson on Instagram, pointing out that the “Crazy in Love” crooner also notably left out her sister Solange during that particular performance.
Lizzo, known legally as Melissa Viviane Jefferson, shut down what she described as “sensationalized” allegations from her former dancers, admitting on social media that she was “hurt” by the claims.
“Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations, but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed,” wrote Lizzo in part in a statement shared to Instagram on Aug. 3. “These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”
She noted that she doesn’t want to be looked at as a “victim,” adding that she’s “very open” about her sexuality but “cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”
Lizzo added: “There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world.”
“With great power comes great responsibility.” That’s the Spider-Man platitude so often wielded for those who are actually in offices of power. And yet, it’s become more and more apparent that politicians hold far less influence than a certain type of celebrity. One in particular being Taylor Swift. Swifties, like members of the Beyhive, hold the power to move mountains if and when it means something to their “leader.” Who they acknowledge as the person to “obey” far more than anyone serving a legitimate political institution. Knowing this, select state politicians in California, including Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, signed an open letter from Unite Here Local 11 (the hotel union representing striking workers) asking Swift to postpone her Los Angeles dates as a show of solidarity with hotel workers who have walked off the job in protest.
More than just a show of solidarity, the reason for “targeting” Swift stems from the knowledge of how the Eras Tour has caused an entire micro-economy to spring up in its wake. One that hotels in L.A. are profiting from majorly while the hotel workers’ “stand” against being taken advantage of goes unnoticed in the midst of “Taylor fever.” Playing five dates at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, Swift is likely drawing in not only the majority of Los Angeles with these dates, but also many others from the far reaches of California (and beyond) who need a hotel room to stay in. Thus, the hotels’ ability, as mentioned in the open letter, to double and triple their rates due to the high demand. Workers’ rights be damned.
In effect, the reaction has been: that sounds like a “management problem,” not an “average person” problem. Let alone a “Swift problem.” And, considering the recent Grammys after-party she held at the Chateau Marmont, Swift has never much concerned herself with the plight of the worker (least of all the hotel worker). Many argue such things shouldn’t be her concern. After all, she’s “just” a singer. Or, as Swift’s recent collaborator, Lana Del Rey might say, “I’m a simple singer, I’m doing my best to navigate the waters of the constant tumultuous hardships in war-torn countries all over the world that I travel through monthly. For the record I’m doing the best I can and my intentions are better than most people[’]s that I know.” Such humility. In any case, the I’m “just” a celebrity defense doesn’t hold much water for someone like Swift (or Del Rey, who has her own sect of worshipful acolytes). For, as we’ve seen (and as referred to above), Swift is that rare breed of celebrity who has more clout than, let’s just say it, the president. At the mere drop of an instruction, Swift can get legions to do something (including register to vote, as she did when she, for the first time in her life, took a political stance by denouncing Tennessee Congressional candidate Marsha Blackburn). The catch is, she has to be interested in the cause.
And since “what matters” is, unfortunately, subjective, Swift didn’t bother to comment on the urgent plea from the Unite Here 11 union and select California politicians. Instead, she carried on with the dates as scheduled. After all, she’s a busy woman, and everyone should just be grateful she’s bothering to grace their city with her presence at all. Right? How is it her “job” to also get involved in local political disputes? This being something a few have pointed out, in addition to announcing that politicians are trying to deflect from their own less than stellar attempts at helping workers secure a better living wage. It’s “on them” to handle such things. Or should be. But the reality is, as the twenty-first century has forged ahead, celebrity power has only continued to outshine actual political power. Although U.S. politics and celebrity have long been linked in the modern era (especially when we look to the example of JFK and Marilyn Monroe), it’s ramped up to a scale that the Founding Fathers never could have possibly envisioned (therefore made provisions for in the Constitution).
There was Madonna draping herself in an American flag and little else during a Rock the Vote campaign in 1990; there was Britney Spears influencing a California anti-paparazzi law that went into effect in 2010; there was Paris Hilton being dragged into the 2008 election campaign thanks to an anti-Barack Obama ad from John McCain likening the former’s “political goals” to wanting nothing more than to become another celebrity; there was Kim Kardashian posing on a 2017 cover of Interview as Jackie Kennedy and being referred to as “America’s New First Lady”; there was Jay-Z and Beyoncé pantomiming “dirt off their shoulders” with Obama at a fundraiser they put on for the president in 2012…the list goes on. And, of course, extends to the fact that celebrities often become politicians themselves (e.g., Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger), in lieu of “merely” exerting influence outside of actual political jurisdiction.
The slew of merchandise available that can have anyone nominating their “fave celeb” for the job of president via the simple line “[Insert Name Here] 4 President” is also eerily telling. Take, for example, the aforementioned Paris Hilton, who responded to McCain’s campaign ad by making a parody video called “Paris For President.” It wasn’t really a parody though. For there’s no denying Paris would take the job if she thought she could. But perhaps she’s not as delusional as her former mentee Kim’s now ex-husband, Kanye, who ran for president in 2020 despite 1) having no chance in hell and 2) missing a large number of states’ deadlines to appear on the ballot as a third-party candidate. Call it another prime example of celebrity hubris.
Just as Swift has her own form of it. Which includes picking and choosing when to get involved with “petty” political matters. And when it comes to doing anything that might jeopardize the trajectory of her tour for the sake of hotel workers, Swift has made it apparent that she’s not exactly “comrade” material. Though the union and backing politicians that tried to implore her to be are obviously aware of the “unofficial” political position she holds within the nation’s ever-diminishing heart.
The internet is many things, but most of all it’s swift. On Tuesday, an employment lawyer representing Lizzo’s former backup dancers, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez, sent around a lawsuit filed against their former employer. These dancers are alleging several things against the performer including failure to prevent sexual or religious harassment, disability discrimination, and assault. (Lizzo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
Hours after the initial headlines posted, Courtney Hollinquest, another former dancer, who clarified she is not part of the lawsuit, voiced her support for those that sued. Soon thereafter, Quinn Wilson, Lizzo’s former creative director, echoed Hollinquest’s sentiments, adding that “I haven’t been apart [sic] of that world for around three years for a reason.”
Around dinnertime, Sophia Nahli Allison, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker, who had been hired to make a documentary on Lizzo admitted that she walked away from the project after two weeks. She said she “witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind [Lizzo] is.”
By Tuesday night, while in Boston, Beyoncé left the name “Lizzo” out of her “Break My Soul” remix. The song used to go “Betty Davis, Solange Knowles / Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl.” In videos from the crowd, it sounds like she just repeats “Badu.”
Davis and Williams joined Lizzo’s team after competing as contestants on Lizzo’s Amazon Prime reality show Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls in March 2021. Lizzo hired Rodriguez for her “Rumors” video and kept her on afterward. Davis and Williams were fired in the spring of 2023, after which, Rodriguez resigned. Besides listing Lizzo as a defendant, the suit adds her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and Shirlene Quigley, captain of her dance team.
The suit claims that Quigley, the dance captain, is a devout, proselytizing Christian, and became obsessed with Davis’s virginity and “singled out“ Rodriguez as a “non-believer.” Quigley, they allege, did not believe in premarital sex, but would speak continually about masturbation and simulated fellatio on a banana. Complaints about her, the lawsuit claims, would go unheeded.
They are also accusing the production company of offering them an unfair rate of 25% of full pay while they were on retainer and barred from seeking other dance work (other performers were allegedly paid a 50% rate for such a setup). In the spring, management agreed to a 50% retainer but by then its relationship with the dancers was “very strained,“ according to the suit. (Quigley and BGBT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
The dancers, the lawsuit alleges, were “exposed to an overtly sexual atmosphere that permeated their workplace,” where outings with nudity and sexuality “were a focal point.” In Amsterdam, for example, during a night the dancers felt was obligatory to keep their job, they attended the club Bananenbar.
“While at Bananenbar, things quickly got out of hand,” the lawsuit reads. “Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas. Lizzo then turned her attention to Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club. Lizzo began leading a chant goading Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis said three times, loud enough for all to hear, ‘I’m good,’ expressing her desire not to touch the performer.”
Davis finally did so. “Plaintiffs were aghast with how little regard Lizzo showed for the bodily autonomy of her employees and those around her, especially in the presence of many people whom she employed,” the suit reads. Most ironically perhaps, Davis’s lawyer claims that Lizzo’s public posture of weight inclusivity did not extend to the dancers. She felt she had to “explain her weight gain and disclose intimate personal details about her life in order to keep her job,” the suit claims.
Though this allegation would be shocking against anyone, it’s especially so against Lizzo, who has made herself the face of body positivity and inclusivity in the music world through self-love anthems like “Good as Hell” and “Juice.” She has a size-inclusive line of shapewear and has spoken at length about her own relationship to her body.
Beyoncé‘s message was simple: “Rest in Power O’Shae Sibley.”
In what police are investigating as a possible hate crime, Sibley, a 28-year-old professional dancer, was fatally stabbed at a gas station in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday.
While filling up a vehicle, Sibley and his friends recorded footage of the dancer voguing to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album for Facebook Live, the New York Times reported. (Voguing is a highly stylized type of dance that originated and evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene in the 1960s.)
A group of men reportedly approached the dancer and his friends and shouted slurs. They allegedly insisted Sibley stop dancing.
According to the New York Times, Sibley told the men to leave him and his friends alone, and that there is “nothing wrong with being gay.”
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There was a brief altercation and Sibley was stabbed in the torso. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
As news of Sibley’s death — and subsequent outrage — spread across social media, Beyoncé updated the home page of her website to read “Rest in Power O’Shae Sibley.”
The homepage of Beyoncé’s website on Aug. 2, 2023.
Beyonce.com
New York police said the department’s hate crimes unit is involved in the ongoing investigation, according to a Rolling Stone report.
No arrests have been made.
On Sunday morning, only hours after Sibley was stabbed, his friend Otis Pena, who recorded the Facebook live, said Sibley was stabbed “right in the heart.”
Through tears, Pena said Sibley was “murdered” because “he was gay; because he stood up for his friends.”
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“We may be gay, but we exist,” he continued. “We’re not going to live in fear. We’re not going to live hiding.”
Sibley’s death has struck a chord with queer people around the world.
GLAAD, a non-profit LGBTQ2 advocacy organization, said Sibley’s “shocking murder follows a disturbing rise in violence and harassment against LGBTQ people across the U.S.”
In a statement, GLAAD urged that no one should feel unsafe because of their identity.
“Politicians spewing lies and proposing policies filled with disinformation, and media repeating their false and dangerous rhetoric unchallenged, are creating an incredibly hostile environment that endangers all LGBTQ people and all queer people of color,” GLAAD wrote.
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Signal, who is openly gay, said he was “heartbroken and enraged” over the news.
“Despite homophobes’ best efforts, gay joy is not crime. Hate-fueled attacks are,” he wrote.
Heartbroken and enraged to learn about O’Shae Sibley’s death this weekend in New York. Despite homophobes’ best efforts, gay joy is not crime. Hate-fueled attacks are.https://t.co/XiPuzEgn6T
— Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (@bradhoylman) July 31, 2023
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A GoFundMe has been created to raise funds for Sibley’s funeral service. The page has already raised over US$34,000 of its original $10,000 goal.
Beyoncé’s Rennaissance album is an upbeat work that celebrates dance music and its origin in the Black queer community. Rennaissance, released in 2022, was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Police say anyone with information about Sibley’s death can call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
Beyonce, Jay Z take strong stand in support of LGTBQ rights
Beyoncé recently gave a sweet shoutout to Madonna — from one queen to another.
In videos circulating on social media, Queen Bey was captured showing love to the “Material Girl” singer Sunday during a New Jersey stop on her Renaissance World Tour. Madonna attended the show with three of her daughters — Mercy, Stella and Estere.
“Big shoutout to the queen,” Beyoncé said on the stage. “Queen Mother Madonna, we love you.”
Madonna celebrated her experience at the concert in an Instagram story Tuesday. “Thank You Queen B. for your Magnificent show!” she wrote, along with a crown emoji.
“My Daughters were enthralled! We Love you!” she continued.
The Queen of Pop also shared photos from the concert, including one that showed her and her children posing with Beyoncé and her youngest daughter, Rumi.
Beyoncé accepts the award for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles.
Beyoncé and Madonna have publicly expressed their admiration for each other on several occasions recently.
In 2022, the “Cuff It” singer released “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix),” a reworked version of Beyoncé’s hit “Break My Soul” from that June. The remix heavily samples Madonna’s 1990 classic “Vogue.”
Shortly after the remix debuted, Madonna shared on Instagram that Beyoncé had sent her a floral arrangement and a note thanking her for her impact in the music industry.
“Thank You, Queen. I’m So Grateful For You. You Have Opened So Many Doors For So Many Women,” Beyoncé’s note read.
“You Are Masterpiece Genius. Thank You For Allowing Me To Sing In Your Song And Thank You For Naming The Remix!!!!”
“One month out of the hospital and I can reflect. As a Mother you can really get caught up in the needs Of your children and the seemingly endless giving,” she wrote in a caption for the post. “But when the chips were down my children really showed up for me. I saw a side to them I had never seen before. It made all the difference.”
“There’s a polished aspect [of dolls], where you want to present yourself a certain way. It works perfectly for some people for marketing purposes,” Michelle says. Just look at Beyoncé’s recent costumes, for example, on her Renaissance World Tour. The singer has taken up futuristic, chrome, and surrealist fashion elements to enhance her disco house–infused concert experience, aided by stylists Shiona Turini, KJ Moody, and Julia Sarr-Jamois.
Marketability and fashion can only get you so far, especially when trying to make an outfit look more like a choice and not a paid campaign. Sometimes, Michelle suggests, it’s important for stylists to acknowledge their client’s personal preferences in a thoughtful way. If not, they can start to feel like a walking ad. “I’m sure even some stylists have deals with brands [telling their clients] you have to wear this with the bag, the shoes, the sunglasses, and you can’t switch anything up. It’s an unfortunate case,” she says.
There have been times when I’ve gotten on the internet and felt that the heydey of well-crafted starlet styling happened years ago when glitz and glamor on red carpets corresponded more with personal choices rather than contractual obligations. Although some celebrities may only have a list of garments they can pull from a show based on their partnerships, the most versed stylists are able to craft a look that feels fresh and authentic to the talent they’re working with. In the case of Gen Z–focused stylist Tabitha Sanchez, a star’s accessories, hair, and makeup can really showcase their true personality.
“In an ideal world, everyone can mix and match and have fun and really showcase their personal style, but the conversation is a lot more nuanced than that. [The dolls showcased] are being dressed by designers for particular events,” Sanchez tells Who What Wear. She’s a fan of the Twitter thread, though. “Whenever clients of mine have to wear a particular designer, I like to have them look at the runway show or lookbooks as well to see what stands out to them, and then I’ll do the same, and we’ll see where we overlap and go from there,” she says.
On Saturday night, the singer performed her first of two shows at the Rogers Centre on her Renaissance World Tour, and she opened things with a literally sparkling outfit.
Paul McCartney would like to have a brief word with his performing peers—emphasis on the brief.
The 81-year-old musician recently appeared on Conan O’Brien’s podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and bemoaned the length of concerts lately. In the late June interview, McCartney said that The Beatles “used to do a half hour. That was The Beatles’ thing: Half an hour, and we got paid for it.”
“Now, people will do three or four hours. I blame Bruce Springsteen,” he said. “I’ve told him so, I said, ‘It’s your fault.’”
“He ruined it for everyone,” O’Brien said, to McCartney’s enthusiastic agreement.
McCartney reasoned that back in the day, more acts would play on one bill, including comedians who would deliver four minutes of material. In contrast, the Beatles’ half-hour felt “epic,” he said.
Springsteen is known for his multi-hour concert extravaganzas, even at his current age of 73. McCartney has kept up with the times with a reportedly nearly three-hour concert length on his 2022 tour, though after these comments, you’ve got to wonder about his internal monologue and yearning for a nice, comfy place to sit.
The long shows aren’t just limited to the Guys With Guitars genre, either: Taylor Swift is turning in three-hour sets on her current Eras Tour, an extremely physical performance even when her trap doors are behaving, and Beyoncé, on her Renaissance Tour, is clocking in similarly epic performances. It makes your knees hurt just to think about it. Paul should count his blessings: At least he doesn’t have choreography.
Is Lizzo the next honourary member of the Knowles-Carter family?
The 35-year-old Grammy winner took to TikTok to upload a playful clip of herself at Beyoncé’s sold-out Renaissance World Tour concert in Poland earlier this week.
As fans cheered on Beyoncé during her electrifying “My Power” performance, Lizzo stole the crowd spotlight with a stunning rendition of the same dance moves Blue Ivy often showcases alongside her mom on tour.
Captured on camera by a friend, Lizzo flawlessly executed the entire choreography, hitting every move on cue. The songstress concluded her performance by defiantly raising her middle finger to the camera.
Fans flocked underneath the video, which currently boasts almost 500k likes, to share their praise for the “Good As Hell” singer, with even Spotify’s official account writing: “okay the hive just found blue’s understudy”.
A devoted fan of Queen Bey, Lizzo captured another memorable moment at the concert with a separate vid. The singer couldn’t hold back her emotions this time as Bey paid tribute to her and other influential Black female artists by proudly showcasing their names on a massive screen, leaving Lizzo deeply moved.
Over on the ‘gram, Lizzo shared a clip from the concert with a thoughtful caption about why the shoutout meant so much to her, writing that the experience was an “honor.”
The singer took to the stage at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena for her “Renaissance World Tour” show on Sunday night, before telling fans that everything she’d worn “was created exclusively by Black designers.”
Bey shared an array of stunning snaps showing herself wearing a rhinestone-covered red gown. She didn’t name the designers.
The musician wrote, alongside pics of a hot pink ensemble, “I started designing this collection over a year ago. I was so engulfed in all things RENAISSANCE and was inspired by Studio 54, Bob Mackie and the disco era.
“I wanted to do a modern twist using the signature IVY PARK neon and bring disco to the beach in this swim collection. I’m so happy to share this with you and even more proud to launch it for the first time on the RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR. I’m proud to be among the very talented Black designers featured in last night’s show to celebrate Juneteenth.”
Juneteenth, which dates back to 1866, celebrates the anniversary of Major General Gordon Grager’s 1865 order proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas.
When the Beyhive swarmed Sweden, they didn’t just bring the buzz, they also brought inflation.
That’s because fans’ pilgrimage to Stockholm for Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour sent hotel prices in the country’s capital skyrocketing, Danske Bank Chief Economist Michael Grahn told the Financial Times.
The “Beyoncé blip,” as he calls it, had a “very rare” effect on Swedish inflation, bumping it up 0.2% in May. Beyoncé played two shows in Sweden on May 10 and 11.
“Beyoncé is responsible for the extra upside surprise this month,” Grahn told the Financial Times. “It’s quite astonishing for a single event. We haven’t seen this before.”
Sweden’s headline inflation was 9.7% in May, down from 10.5% the month prior, Swedish government data shows. But while consumer prices in Sweden are moderating, prices for a large swath of goods and services, including hotels and restaurants, rose. Hotel and restaurant prices increased 3.3% from April to May, according to Statistics Sweden, an organization that publishes the country’s inflation reports.
Highest-grossing tour contender
The Renaissance World Tour is on track to clinch the title of highest-grossing tour of all time. The series of stadium performances, named after Beyoncé’s new album, is the megastar’s first time performing in seven years, Billboard reported. As a result, fans are clamoring to get their hands on tickets.
During the first round of ticket sales for Beyoncé’s concerts, fan demand exceeded the number of available tickets by more than 800%, Ticketmaster said in a statement in February.
While Beyoncé’s modest “blip” effect on an entire country’s inflation is far from usual, it isn’t the first time a singer’s fanbase has pushed up consumer prices.
The cost of a one-night stay at some hotels in Nashville nearly quadrupled during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour performances in the city in May, the Tennessean reported. Her fans also smashed records for hotel bookings in Chicago.
As the cost of tickets to see Beyoncé and Taylor Swift strut their stuff onstage soars to absurd heights, some Americans are dropping the coupon codes and picking up their passports.
So-called concert tourism, in which people venture abroad to attend live shows, was gaining traction among Americans even before the pandemic, ticket sales data show. But with prime tickets to popular shows hitting four digits, some music fans are heading overseas to catch their favorite acts.
Beyoncé superfan Shelby Messing said she saved at least $1,000 by heading to Spain to see Beyonce perform during her stop in Barcelona on her sold-out Renaissance world tour. She estimates laying out between $2,500 and $3,000 for her two-week trip. That includes the cost of a round-trip flight from Atlanta to Barcelona, accommodations, one $227 general admission concert ticket and a bonus excursion to Mallorca.
By comparison, on Ticketmaster a single VIP Renaissance World Tour ticket in the U.S. goes for at least $3,757 and as much as $5,007.
Messing saved hundreds of dollars on the concert due, in part, to the comparatively low ticket fees in Spain, where the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has previously cracked down on disproportionately high ticket fees for live music events. She paid a flat fee of roughly $27 for her ticket to Beyonce’s Barcelona show; in the U.S., ticket fees for the same show would have cost her nearly 50% of the ticket’s face value, she told CBS MoneyWatch.
“I’m not surprised more and more people are coming to shows in Europe instead and [are choosing to] stimulate an economy that doesn’t take advantage of people,” Messing said.
Data from the American Economic Liberties Project, an anti-monopoly group, shows fees now add an average of 32% to ticket orders, up from an average of 27% in 2018, the New York Times reported.
“A no-brainer to travel”
While concert tickets are often cheaper overseas, the cost of flying to Europe, Asia or other regions around the world is surging this year.
That’s why Triada Cross, another Beyoncé fan, used credit-card points to fly from Dallas to Germany to catch a show. She paid a total of $2,850 to see the songstress perform twice, once in Hamburg and once in Frankfurt. Including the cost a flight, a five-night hotel stay and a train ride between the two cities, she estimates she paid $3,525 for her entire trip — still less than the cost of a single VIP ticket package to the same show in America.
“I used to live in Germany… so I already understood that Europe has better consumer protection laws than the U.S.,” Cross told CBS MoneyWatch. “For me, it was a no-brainer to travel to Europe to see Beyoncé, especially after seeing the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster debacle play out.”
The Ticketmaster factor
Ticketmaster, the platform owned by entertainment company LiveNation, controls ticket sales for roughly three-quarters of major concert venues in the U.S., according to estimates cited by lawmakers at a January Senate hearing on the company’s practices.
Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” model adjusts ticket prices according to popular demand, said Ron Knox, a senior researcher at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, an advocacy organization focused on corporate power.
“Ticketmaster can use dynamic pricing to rack up profits and rip off fans…[providing] one of the worst ticket buying experiences imaginable,” Knox said. “For fans and artists alike, Ticketmaster is unavoidable, and the concert-going experience in the U.S. is far worse off because of it.”
Ticketmaster also tacks on high fees, further inflating costs for concertgoers in the U.S., critics of the platform say. And, because Ticketmaster has signed exclusive agreements with many of the country’s major concert venues, there’s often no way around those fees, said Krista Brown, a senior policy analyst at the American Economic Liberties Project.
“Exclusive contracts between venues and ticketing providers like Ticketmaster are the most significant factor in what drives up U.S. ticket prices compared to the European market,” Brown told CBS MoneyWatch. “In the U.S., those exclusive arrangements guarantee it will face no competition.”
Ticketmaster did not respond to a request for comment from CBS MoneyWatch.
Lawsuits and legislation
Ticketmaster’s fee system has aroused the ire of fans and artists alike. In March, The Cure frontman Robert Smith took aim at the service, tweeting he was “sickened” by the company’s fees, which exceeded the face value of tickets to his band’s shows.
Last year, Taylor Swift fans who were unable to get seats to her Eras Tour shows sued Ticketmaster and Live Nation, alleging the companies committed fraud and violated antirust laws in selling tickets for the concerts.
In April, legislators introduced the “Junk Fees Prevention Act” to limit “mandatory fees that are excessive or deceptive.” But it will take more than that to make concerts more affordable stateside, Brown told CBS MoneyWatch.
“Current legislation is attempting to address some of these issues, but significant federal action is needed to address the broader market problems created by Live Nation [and] Ticketmaster’s monopoly power,” Brown said.
Fans caught the “Only Murders in the Building” actor shouting at one of the people escorting her into the show in video shared on TikTok.
While the video doesn’t show what prompted the argument, the poster said the star was angry at the guard from keeping her from talking to fans. It was unclear whether the man was part of her team or working for the stadium.
Another clip posted on Twitter appeared to provide some more context, showing the star breezing past fans while smiling and giving high-fives.
That video didn’t show whether she interacted with fans before or after the tense chat, however.
HuffPost has reached out to Gomez’s team for comment.
Gomez’s conflict at the concert echoed aspects of another pop star’s recent ordeal.
Taylor Swift was filmed shouting at security at one of the Philadelphia concerts earlier this month.
In video from the show, the singer yelled at the guard to stop touching a fan between the lyrics to her song “Bad Blood.”
Afterwards, people online praised Swift for watching out for her fans.
The Grammy winner dedicated a portion of her concert in Paris on Friday to Turner, who died Wednesday at age 83. Beyoncé took a beat between songs during the “Renaissance” tour to educate her audience about the woman who inspired her to become a star.
“If you’re a fan of mine, you’re a fan of Tina Turner,” Beyoncé told the crowd. “’Cause I wouldn’t be on this stage without Tina Turner. So I want you guys to just scream so she can feel your love. I feel so blessed that I was alive to witness her brilliance.”
While the sold-out crowd applauded Beyoncé’s Turner tribute, some on social media were reminded of a controversial lyric from her 2013 song “Drunk in Love.” The Grammy-winning hit features her husband, Jay-Z, referring to Turner’s abusive marriage with Ike Turner. “I’m Ike Turner, turn up, baby, no, I don’t play, ‘Now eat the cake, Anna Mae,’ said, ‘Eat the cake, Anna Mae!’” Jay-Z raps on the song.
“A reminder that Jay-Z and Beyoncé on ‘Drunk in Love’ say these words, mocking Tina Turner (Anna Mae) being beaten up by Ike Turner, & ref the moment he pushed her face into her celebration cake to abuse her,” one person tweeted about Jay-Z’s verse.
“If you’re a fan of mine, you’re a fan of Tina Turner. I wouldn’t be on this stage without Tina Turner. I want you guys to scream so she can feel your love. I feel so blessed that I was alive to witness her brilliance.”
— RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR (@RenaissanceWT) May 27, 2023
Turner, whose real name was Anna Mae Bullock, became a common punchline for rappers throughout the 1990s. From the Notorious B.I.G. to Eminem, references to Ike Turner’s physical abuse riddled popular hip-hop songs for more than a decade.
“Reflecting on Tina’s legacy, I’ve always been surprised + disappointed how her being a domestic violence survivor somehow always turned into a joke, esp. in rap music,” another person tweeted. “That’s one reason I don’t play Drunk in Love often, because of Jay-Z’s verse.”
When Turner learned about the song referencing her, she replied simply, “Yeah, I’m not surprised,” according to a 2019 New York Times profile.
Beyoncé herself, however, has never publicly uttered a flippant word about Turner. Beyoncé performed the icon’s “Proud Mary” when Turner was honored at the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors. In 2008, they sang the song together at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.
“I love you endlessly,” Beyoncé reportedly posted on her website earlier this week. “I am so grateful for your inspiration and all the ways you have paved the way. You are strength and resilience. We are all fortunate to have witnessed your kindness and beautiful spirit that will forever remain.”
Breaking records is what they do. This time, with real estate.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have just bought a new home, according to TMZ and Architectural Digest. The digs, boasting 30,000 square feet along the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, cost the couple $200 million. This makes it the most expensive purchase for a private residence in California.
It stomps the previous record, the $177 million price tag that Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen paid for his place, also in Malibu, in 2021. That busted Jeff Bezos’s record of $160 million for a Beverly Hills home in 2020. (We’re not looking up fourth place! Gold, silver, and bronze are all that count, zillionaires!)
The music industry power couple’s new home is also the second most pricy real estate purchase in the United States. The penthouse at 220 Central Park South cost Kenneth Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, $238 million in 2019. There is a real, really good Italian ice vendor just steps away from Griffin’s pad. I go there all the time.
The new Knowles-Carter estate in Malibu was designed by the self-taught Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando, best known in the U.S. for building the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The home was created for Bill Bell Jr., an heir to a soap opera fortune. (Yes, you read that correctly. Bell’s parents, William and Lee Phillip Bell created The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.) It took Bell Jr. “over a decade and a half to finish construction on the concrete property,” according to Architectural Digest. The broker for the deal was Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency, whose other clients include Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Madonna. V.F. has reached out to the couple for comment.
In addition to the new place, the couple own homes in Lower Manhattan (the TriBeCa pad where they were married) and an $88 million mansion in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. It is unclear if they still own a fire-damaged mansion in New Orleans (they listed it for sale, then took it off the market in 2021.)
Images of the new home can be found on many pages dedicated to Ando’s work, if you use the keywords Bell and Malibu. But be careful. Be sure you are looking at the right one, because Ando built another beachside Malibu home for financier Richard Sachs in 2013, which was purchased in 2021 by Kanye West for $57.3 million. (Peanuts compared to what Beyoncé and Jay-Z paid.) The 4,000-square-foot home is reportedly in a state of disrepair right now, with unfinished remodeling projects dragging on.
Beyoncé is currently on the first leg of her Renaissance World Tour, which kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden less than two weeks ago. After five nights in London at the end of May and early June, she hits France, Holland, and Germany before coming to North America. The first gig on this side of the Atlantic is July 8 in Toronto, and everything wraps up on September 27 in New Orleans. The three nights at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California in early September means she may get to spend some quality taking in the oceanside views at her new place.
The Better Business Bureau warns of at least 20 distinct instances of related scams. For example, one consumer said a Twitter user advertised tickets for sale and requested $800 through mobile payment apps. The victim sent the money, but never received the concert tickets. Other scammers are hacking into Facebook users’ accounts to impersonate them and dupe their close contacts into transferring them money for tickets that don’t exist.
Strong demand for tickets, coupled with mobile technology that makes it hard to spot fake tickets, puts consumers at risk of being duped into purchasing phony tickets, according to consumer watchdog Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG). Along with Swift. some of the biggest names in entertainment, such as Beyoncé, Pink and the Arctic Monkeys, have upcoming shows, making it important for fans to remain vigilant.
“Desperate music and sports fans can fall for scams involving tickets because they want to go so much that they make bad decisions they wouldn’t normally make,” Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog at U.S. PIRG Education Fund, said in a statement.
The consumer watchdog urges consumers to avoid buying event tickets through marketplaces like Facebook, Instagram and Craigslist, where scammers may lurk. Even people who secure authentic tickets can be exposed to having their information hacked using such sites, with the group noting that it can be hard or impossible to recoup losses.
“It’s sad, but it’s easier than ever for music or sports fans to get scammed by counterfeit tickets or get tricked into providing their personal information,” Murray said. “And by the time you realize there’s a problem, the thief and your money are long gone.”
Common types of ticket scams
Counterfeit paper or electronic tickets. You shell out for tickets that are invalid.
Scammers who have legitimate tickets sell them to multiple buyers.
Con artists who create bogus websites that mimic sites such as StubHub, VividSeats or TicketMaster to capture consumer search traffic. They pretend to sell tickets but instead steal your credit or debit card information
Tips for avoiding scams
First, don’t buy tickets from strangers. Keep your guard up when looking for tickets to attend events at sold-out venues. It’s best to purchase tickets through a verified agency.
“Unless you’re buying tickets from someone you actually know — a co-worker, a relative, a super close friend — then don’t try to buy tickets from an individual,” Murray wrote in a blog post.
PIRG also advises against purchasing tickets using a payment service like Zelle, Venmo or PayPal — if it’s a scam, it will be impossible to recoup your money. If you willingly pay a third party using one of these services, they are not responsible if you are duped.
Relatedly, it’s better to buy tickets with a credit card than a debit card because the former typically have more protections under the Fair Credit Billing Act. If you’re scammed, you can file a claim with your credit issuer and they will typically refund you.
While it may seem obvious, you should only purchase tickets through well-known, reputable resellers. Beware of duplicate sites that mimic those of known companies. Also research their refund policy just in case the tickets they sell you turn out to be counterfeit.. Finally, cross-check the section and seat number on a ticket with the layout of the venue to make sure it actually exists.
