Atlantis The Royal: Inside Beyonce’s controversial Dubai concert
The US superstar returned to the stage for the first time in four years to sing in a one-off performance. So what was it like in the crowd?
There are two types of people in the A-list world. Those who were in Dubai over the weekend and those who weren’t. But to add to the level of exclusivity shrouding the world-class event which saw celebrities, influencers and special guests gather in the UAE, was an invite-only performance by Beyonce.
For the first time in four years, the singer returned to the stage to perform in front of 1500 people at the grand reveal of Dubai’s newest luxury resort, Atlantis The Royal. And I just so happened to be among that crowd.
A-listers like rapper Jay-Z, model Kendall Jenner, former One Direction member Liam Payne, Black Panther Star Letitia Wright and Emily in Paris star Ashley Park, were invited to the one-off show at what is being coined the world’s most decadent hotel. Also in attendance were a number of Australian guests, like Sonia Kruger, Scott Cam, Rebel Wilson and Sammy Robinson, and media, including The Australian, receiving an invitation.
It has been reported Beyonce was paid $33 million for the one-off 85-minute concert. The fee amounted to more than $388,000 per minute.
Despite the evening’s overwhelming success, Beyonce’s secret gig has ruffled some feathers within her fandom, with fans criticising the global gay icon’s decision to perform in Dubai, where homosexuality is illegal.
Beyonce leaving the LGBT behind after she got that $35 million dollar check from Dubai pic.twitter.com/4naJCleTgC
— Adil (@Kylieesi) January 23, 2023
Her latest album, Renaissance, has been celebrated from taking inspiration for LGBT figures and for honouring black queer culture. Some have even labelled the work as being “indebted to LGBT culture”.
But Dubai, which is part of the UAE, has strict laws and fatal punishments against same-sex relationships.
“Beyonce really made a whole album for LGBTs profiting off and monetising their culture just to have only one performance in a country where these very same people get death sentences for being LGBT lol,” one Twitter user said.
Another added: “They’re all allies until there’s money involved.”
The superstar opened with a cover of Etta James’s At Last, before launching into a set of her greatest hits, including an acoustic version of XO, an operatic rendition of Halo and a special duet of Brown Skin Girl with her daughter, Blue Ivy. Two obvious omissions were Cuff It and Break My Soul, both hits from her latest album.
In between songs, Beyonce was joined onstage by Lebanese dance group The Mayyas while a 48-person all-female orchestra, Firdaus, flanked the star. Singing in front of a pastel background reminiscent of Italian Renaissance artist Raphael’s The School of Athens, Beyonce was a beacon in feathers and sequins, changing into three variations of her radiant costumes. The multi-level stage was white, which contrasted to the black tiled cascading fountains on either side of the stairway cutting through the middle of each platform.
The star finished the show by walking through the crowd onto a platform where she was lifted into the sky, surrounded by water jets and a pyrotechnic display, before disappearing into the smoke above.
Fireworks shooting from the hotel’s highest balconies and a spectacular drone show connecting the new hotel to its sister property, Atlantis the Palm, signalled the start of the after-party, where Swedish House Mafia launched into a set of their hits including Moth To A Flame and Don’t You Worry Child.
Hotel staff yielding glowing bottles of Moét & Chandon Brut Imperial kept the night flowing well into the early hours of the morning, while an endless supply of sweet and savoury canapes made their rounds. Guests were asked not to record any part of the show and to put their phones in a pouch provided by the event’s staff.
Beyonce is set to bring her Renaissance World Tour to Australia in 2023.