At last, Beyoncé is in performance mode.
The “Renaissance” singer, 41, performed at the Atlantis The Royal hotel on Saturday to mark the opening of the luxury hotel, her agency Parkwood shared on Instagram.
“Beyoncé on stage tonight in Dubai,” the caption read, along with her singing Etta James’ “At Last” to kick off the show. The invitation-only event marked her first concert in more than four years. She last performed at the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 event in 2018.
View this post on Instagram
Ahead of the concert, Beyoncé dazzled in a gold gown with waist-high slits and a gold cape to complete her red carpet look. During the performance, she sported various looks including a red and gold jumper with a beaded bustier and a halo, and a short pink dress with silver and gold details and long gloves.
A number of celebrities, journalists and influencers were in attendance, including Kendall Jenner, Rebel Wilson, Ellen Pompeo, Winston Duke, Letitia Wright, Liam Payne, Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Nia Long, Sabrina Elba and “Bachelor” alums Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell.
Beyoncé treated her guests to her classic hits like “Beautiful Liar,” “Flaws and All,” “XO,” “Halo,” “Freedom,” “Crazy in Love,” “Countdown” and “Bigger,” according to The Hollywood Reporter and People. To accompany her vocals, she had a band, “America’s Got Talent” Season 17 winners, dance crew The Mayyas and the 48-person all-female Firdaus orchestra, per THR.
NAACP Image Awards 2023:’Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ ‘Abbott Elementary’ sweep nominations
The pop icon was also joined by her 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy to duet on “Brown Skin Girl.” The song earned the mother-daughter duo and WizKid a Grammy Award in 2021 for best music video.
“Where are all my brown skin girls? Give it up for my baby, my brown skin girl, Miss Blue Ivy Carter,” Beyoncé said at the start of their duet, according to THR.
Concertgoers were prohibited from using cameras during Beyoncé’s performance, THR and People reported, however, many videos have surfaced online since.
“enjoyed beyonce day in dubai,” Halle Bailey tweeted Saturday.
“Real Housewives of Dubai” star Chanel Ayan shared a photo with Elba and the Bailey sisters. “Thanks to @Beyonce for a fabulous vip night. It was epic,” she wrote.
Chloe x Halle and my cousin Sabrina and thanks to @Beyonce for a fabulous vvip night. It was epic pic.twitter.com/xyOZKlr1hI
— Chanel Ayan (@chanelayan) January 21, 2023
Despite the luxury experience, the singer left fans wanting more, as she did not perform any songs from her 2022 album “Rennaissance,” THR reported. The album earned her nine nominations at the upcoming Grammy Awards, tying Beyoncé with her husband Jay-Z for the most career nominations with 88 nods.
Beyoncé’s performance comes after stars like Shakira and Dua Lipa refused to be involved with the World Cup in Dubai in November because of Qatar’s poor record on human rights.
“Can someone explain why everyone was cancelling David Beckham the other month but now celebrating Beyoncé for performing in Dubai? One rule for one and one for another?” “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” alum Kitty Scott-Claus tweeted Sunday.
Polite Pixie, another “Drag Race UK” alum, similarly tweeted, “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?”
[via]
