The Show of the Year? JayZ and Queen Bey, hot and oh so in their power.
This juggernaut of a production, OTRII, was mind-blowingly sophisticated and slick.
The set was amazing, the song list vast and catered well for the fan mix – rappers, disco chicks and moms out for the evening to chaperone their kids!
The content closely followed their relationship, focusing heavily on JayZ’s infamous infidelity. A transgression which, a few years ago, left us stunned into silence. After all if a man cheats on Queen Bey, what hope is there for the rest of us doe eyed romantics?
As the show unravelled, I felt slightly awkward and embarrassed. The sexual over and under tones kicked in with a welcome crescendo of Drunk In Love. An intense track, IMHO, aural sex at its best. I felt as though I’d taken a wrong turn from the stadium loos and somehow stumbled into their VIP boudoir. It turned out I was an invited voyeur. The masks, the Latex, the corsets, the killer heels but most of all the moves… from foreplay to whore-play, all raw, unfettered and as slick AF!
Having lured us into the show with mesmerising tactics, we were taken on an intimate ride into the annals of their relationship journey. Exquisitely shot video flooded the gargantuan back screens, capturing the couple hanging out in a stunning range of exotic destinations from around the world. Steamy to stressful to supercharged rage. We saw their kids, their home, their history and their dreams. All carefully curated and documented, their life to music.
Beyonce is one powerful woman. Fiercely feminine, bodacious and bold. It’s difficult to imagine how she got here. She had a dominant daddy, then got with JayZ, 12 years her senior, when she was still in her teens. As her Svengali he did such a great job that she now overshadows. On stage JayZ belted out a few of his rap hits, toting bullet proof vest, a headband and medallion the size of a side plate. To me he looked like an embarrassing Uncle at an 80’s throw back fancy dress do but hey, maybe that’s just me.
I am curious and wondering how this guy got to be quite such an incredible high achiever and one of the most powerful men in entertainment. Bey dwarfed him. In power, in talent, in moves and in style.
But something about the show just didn’t add up for me. The passion, the heat, the sexual fire… It was laid bare for all to see but I just couldn’t feel it. With a heavy heart I left the stadium. I was exhausted. Having spent half an hour in a weird threesome during their bedroom phase but awkward and washed up during the hour or more which was pure unadulterated therapy. JayZ took us through the seduction of another woman, getting caught and of course, his contrition.
The Lemonade Lyrics, the primal rage, Beyonce left nothing out. The choreography was akin to a not wholly-vanilla Rugby Hakka … Her Amazonian form oozed sexual power, a beautiful dominant woman standing in her own sexuality on stage night after night, picking at the scabby wound and the pain of his betrayal.
The evening was peppered with intensely romantic and intimate moments between the couple. I desperately want to believe they pull them out of a place of integrity for each of the 76 shows on The OTRII Tour. Maybe my rose tinted specs got steamed up and blurred my vision?
But I just didn’t feel it. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be part of their break ups and make ups .. whether they’re real or not.
