Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter is the best performer dead or alive.
Beyoncé has many performances to highlight that illustrate my point, But I’ll only need to use one; Her most recent, visually explosive, sonically superior, culturally and historically delicious black late night Coachella extravaganza she wow’d undeserving, rich, white kids with.
Beyoncé was initially supposed to headline Coachella last year, but had to resign due to being pregnant with her twins Rumi and Sir Carter.
In 2018 she proves yet again why she is worth the wait, and worth your coins. With a desert setting in Indio, Calif. Beyoncé change the entire climate and ecosystem with a mind-blowing musical, visual, and physical triumph of a show.
Not only is she the best entertainer on the planet, she also the BLACKEST one, bringing black culture, history, and excellence to mainstream platforms. Her politically charged, expertly executed half time show at the 2016 Super Bowl enticed praise and criticism for featuring costumes resembling the uniform of the Black Panthers, and profuse use of the black power fist.
During her 2018 Coachella set as the first black woman to headline the coveted event, the overt display of black pride was still evident.
Beyoncé is known to be nit picky perfectionist. It shows. Her extreme talent is only one ingredient of her potent cocktail of superstardom. She is practice. She is endurance. She’s expertly calculated and truly honors craftsmanship. She is the point on the grid where raw talent and hard work convene to create perfection.
Her first Coachella performance was not just entertainment, it was a cultural and historical spectacle from the set design which mimicked the bleachers on the football field, to the lights and costumes.
A full marching band complete with bold brass complete with a drumline, body contortionists, a baton twirler, an orchestra, and a choir. The only thing that could’ve made this performance more widely satisfying is a being from another planet; clearly Beyoncé must be that being herself.
Her discography had a fresh perspective with the element of the live band and seamlessly transitioned from her hits mashed up with black staples like Juveniles’ “Back That Azz up.”
She blended in all kinds of references and quotes from black history with her familiar hits, including an excerpt from a Malcolm X speech to a sample of Nina Simone’s “Lilac Wine” accompanied by a theatrical, intimate, interpretive dance during “Drunk In Love.”
Her emblem on her sweater features a black panther, a black powerfist, Queen Nefertiti, and a black bumble bee. She sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — which is considered to be the black national anthem — before transitioning in to the song, “Formation.” She dipped into her Houston roots mixing in slowed down chopped and screwed sonics with techno. It featured bad-ass, black women and men of all shapes and skin tones dancing along side Yoncé as if their life depended on it. How could you not? She pushes herself and her team beyond the limits of their mind to blow yours.
“This is a very important performance for me tonight,” She said during the show. Her 100-plus performers sent chills down my spine while swag surfing in perfect unison decked out in honey bee yellow sweaters and burets. Beyoncé and her female dancers were stunning and dynamic, executing a heavy hitting step routine like they’re straight out of Spelman, all while maintaining perfect, crystal clear vocals. She nearly danced her clothes off.
While watching I had to pause to catch my breath, and touch my edges to make sure they were still intact. I wondered if the majority white crowd could even begin to process what they were seeing. She gave a concert, a history lesson, a parade, a play, a party and a symphony in just two hours with minimal breaks. Numerous media outlets including Vogue speculate she changed her nail color in-between songs!
After the dizzying performance, she pledged $100,000 in scholarships to black colleges.
Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Lawson shared via her instagram account that she was afraid that the predominantly white audience would be confused by the sheer, unapologetic blackness of it all.
Beyoncé’s response is why she’s the greatest to tip toe, twerk, and strut on any stage. “At this point in my life and career, I have a responsibility to do what’s best for the world, and not what’s most popular.”
The Queen has spoken. The best entertainer in the world. Beychella forever.