I had to lose 60 pounds. They had me running on that treadmill,” Beyoncé said at her sold-out concert on Saturday night (May 26), the second of four shows at Revel’s Ovation Hall in Atlantic City, before ending the night with her No. 1 hit, “Single Ladies.”
It’s no surprise the amount of dedication and discipline Bey’ puts into her shows, from the knee-high age of five. The ‘Back to Business’ four-night concert series — the title comes off a lyric in her first “4” single, ‘Run the World (Girls) — was no different. It was her first time on stage since giving birth to her and Jay-Z’s baby girl, Blue Ivy Carter, and eight months since her four concert series, “4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé,” in NYC. Days before the event, Bey’ released two videos showing herself at rehearsal, cracking the whip.
The end result was a welcome back party for Beyoncé, in which the “Party” singer turned host, entertained fans and VIP friends, including Michelle Obama and her daughters Sasha and Malia Obama, with a two-hour set of her chart-topping hits.
Bey’ opened with what I still wish was her first “4” single, “End of Time.” Backed by her all-female band, she blazed through her catalogue, performing her solo No. 1s to the choruses from the nostalgic Destiny’s Child days. She gave audience members sonic surprises — lacing “If I Were A Boy” with The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” — and goosebumps when covering Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” and the first verse of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” before transitioning into her own power ballad, “Halo.”
There were two highlights of the night, aside from the choreography and vocal prowess. The first one was the dynamic between her and her fans; singing back and forth to each other on several, if not all, songs. Beyoncé walked, comfortably barefoot at times, from one side of the stage to the other, giving her fans the mic. She smiled with gratitude as “Irreplaceable” was performed with a side-to-side stage competition.
Second was Beyoncé’s subtle sneak peeks into her personal life. The singer gives us a little bit more of herself every time she steps in front of her fans, in tablespoon portions, which ultimately keeps us wanting more. Fans went crazy when seeing Bey’ cradling Blue Ivy in a video montage. And if one listened closely, you’d catch Bey’ saluting her man throughout the show — at one point saying “yeaaah man,” as Jay-Z is known to do.
Jay displayed his love and admiration too, of course. “I’m gonna say this and then I’m gonna end mine.” BEYONCE is the best performer in the world. Period,” Jay tweeted after Bey’s first Revel night.
You can swoon now, if you don’t already every time you visit her Tumblr.