STOCKHOLM (AP) 鈥 Tens of thousands of fans descended upon the Swedish capital of Stockholm to celebrate the opening show of Beyonc茅鈥檚 new world tour on Wednesday.
鈥淩enaissance鈥 is the superstar鈥檚 first solo tour since 2016 and shares the namesake of her 2022 dance-centric , the success of which landed Beyonc茅 at the top of the throne as the ceremony鈥檚 most decorated artist in history.
Fans who had complained in recent months about the lack of music videos for 鈥淩enaissance" hits were in for a treat Wednesday as video projections and animations took center stage. The rapid succession of costume changes and decor shifts was baffling. The singer played on interactions between a digital and physical world where robotic devices make space for weird silver moon rovers or an inflatable horse. Even Queen Bey herself morphs into a cybernetic character. Seems confusing? It was.
Yet despite the impressive scale of the stage set, some moments still felt intimate. Beyonc茅 expressed heartfelt gratitude to fans for traveling from afar to witness her perform. She reached for songs spanning across her two-decade career, kicking off the show with 鈥淒angerously in Love,鈥 the title track of her 2003 first solo album, moving through 2011 female empowerment anthem 鈥淩un the World (Girls)鈥 and dishing up a good selection of hits from 鈥淩enaissance鈥 itself.
Wednesday's show sold out the 46,000 tickets available; and if the audience's reaction was anything to go on, the rest of the tour will be a hit. Beyonc茅 will make stops at more than 40 cities including London, Paris, Barcelona and Toronto before wrapping up the tour Sept. 27 in New Orleans.
