Beyoncé gives nod to Britney Spears as she kicks off ‘Renaissance World Tour’

Beyoncé officially kicked off her Renaissance World Tour on Wednesday, May 10th, 2023, at Stockholm, Sweden’s Friends Arena.

During the concert, Bey surprised fans in attendance with a nod to fellow pop icon Britney Spears, by sampling her hit song, Toxic.

This was Bey’s first full concert in four years in January at the new Atlantis Royal Resort in Dubai.

She opened her show with belting out Dangerously in Love in a silver jumpsuit, which was then followed up by Flaws and All, 1+1, I’m Goin’ Down and I Care before moving on to songs from her Renaissance album, which released in July last year.

Moreover, the first stop of the 57-show tour featured the Grammy-winning artist performing in a dizzying array of club-ready couture creations inspired from the runways.

In the latter half of the concert, before she transitioned into the Renaissance cut Thique, while accompanied by French dance duo Les Twins, the iconic instrumental of Spears’ Toxic, modified with a ticking noise to add depth, chimed in the background.

Beyoncé then launched into the song, singing, “She thought she was killin’ that sh–, I told her, ‘Go harder’/ Just look at this alkaline wrist ’cause I got that water.”

Fans erupted in cheers at the nod to her fellow pop icon.

At the end of the show, as confetti rained from the ceiling, the singer told the crowd, “I want y’all to give it up for yourselves for being a wonderful audience. God bless you.”

According to Variety, the stadium trek will continue across Europe through June, with the North American leg kicking off in Toronto on July 8th.

Club Renaissance will run for at least 40 dates, mainly in stadiums, and make stops at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (July 29th) and at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California (September 2nd) amid dates in Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Atlanta, Phoenix and Miami.