Beyoncé has played a controversial show in Dubai.
The pop icon returns in 2022 with her the mighty full length ‘Renaissance’, named Clash Magazine’s Album Of The Year. She began testing a live performance earlier this week, with her team sending invites to press, celebrities and influencers.
The concert was part of the grand reveal of Atlantis the Royal, a new luxury resort in Dubai. “Beyoncé invites you to a weekend where your dreams will become your destination,” the invite read, teasing a “once in a lifetime performance”.
Attendees were promised “epicurean feasts, beachside indulgences, and special revealing experiences including business class airfare, first-class ground transportation, and first-class accommodations at Atlantis the Royal.”
The performance took place overnight, and marks Beyoncé’s first live performance since 2020; it is her first full concert since 2019.
The set list doesn’t contain material from ‘Renaissance’, but it does focus on a variety of material from different creative iterations in her life. US per TMZBlue Ivy joined Beyoncé for a version of ‘Brown Skin Girl’, while Swedish House Mafia DJ’d the after party.
Attendees included ChloexHalle –
enjoyed beyonce day in dubai 🤣🎉❤️ pic.twitter.com/KnxdKLXyP4
— Halle (@HalleBailey) January 22, 2023
The decision to go ahead with the show wasn’t without controversy. The UAE has restrictive laws on homosexuality, with the death penalty being enshrined in its constitution. In recent years, artists such as The Killers, Stormzy, and more have performed in Dubai – Kylie Minogue performed at a glitzy New Year’s Eve party in the city.
‘Renaissance’ was guided by LGBT culture, and news of Bey’s performance in Dubai did bring criticism online.
No beef but I’m struggling to understand why Beyoncé, who has half a billion dollars, would accept 20 million dollars to make her debut performance of the Renaissance album, a record which lifts heavily from queer culture, in Dubai, a country where LGBT rights aren’t recognized.
— douglas greenwood (@douglasgrnwd) January 22, 2023
Just going to leave this here incase anyone has forgotten #BeyonceInDubai pic.twitter.com/40OuDR4heu
— Josh Hargreaves (@JoshEHargreaves) January 22, 2023
How are we as a community not chastising Beyoncé for performing in Dubai when we were just spitting feathers about David Beckham and Qatar just a few weeks ago?
— Pixie (Not So) Polite 🧚🏻 (@PolitePixie) January 22, 2023
TMZ reports that Beyoncé received more than $20 million for the concert; there is no update on a potential Renaissance tour.
