Over the bank holiday weekend I was lucky enough to go see Mrs Carter herself at her sold out O2 show in London on Saturday night. The whole thing was arranged through work and the lovely guys at PayPal so we were fortunate enough to get VIP treatment in their box. Free wine and food were not in short supply and neither was the intensity and awesomeness of the show itself.
We stayed in a hotel just over the river from the O2, so it was either a taxi there… or a cable car!! We obviously chose the cable car, the view from up above was really spectacular and we saved our selves quite a bit of money by not splashing out on London’s expensive taxi ride.
Laura, me, Gem and Emma
The view of the O2 from the cable car
When we arrived at the arena we met up with Alex from PayPal who kindly payed for our drinks then escorted us over to the PayPal VIP box in the O2. It was utterly overwhelming, the view was perfect, we were quite far back to the left of the stage, but the view was fantastic. We could see the whole stage with ease.
When the show finally came to a start, it was everything I ever thought it would be, and a whole lot more. This being my first time seeing Beyonce I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I just knew it was going to be epic, and I was not disappointed.
I have never experienced such an entrance before, there were three huge video screens offering moody footage of gothic architecture and Queen Bey dressed conservatively for 18th-century France, sundry pyrotechnics, the unveiling of an 11-piece all-female band and an extended and portentous rumbling of timpani that eventually resolved itself into her 2011 hit single “Run The World” (Girls). Well that was it, we were all on our feet by then singing and dancing our little hearts out.
There was nothing ordinary about this show, its visual graphics, the lighting, the dancers, the musicians were all incredible. Not once did I feel bored throughout the whole concert, and not once were my eyes or ears not entertained.
It was impressive to see how well Beyonce can actually dance, its one thing seeing her in her hit videos, but seeing it live was an experience which was very unique, no surprise then from the beginning of the show the whole crowd was electric.
Throughout the whole 2 hour set, Beyonce did what she does best, entertained, and put on a show based upon the songs that have defined her career, from “I’m a Survivor” to “Crazy in Love” and “Halo”, she even surprised the crowd with her beautiful rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”.
Unfortunately Jay-Z was no where to be seen, although she did invite a cute little girl from the crowd to join her as she sang her hit “Irreplaceable”, it was speculated the girl could have been 15 month old Blue Ivy, but a rep for Beyonce has since clarified this was not the case.
Gem, Laura, Me, Emma and Alex from PayPal
I can safely say this was one of the best concerts I have ever been to, the atmosphere, the performances, the dancing and her interaction with the crowd was all 10/10, I will definitely be going to see her again next time she tours. My May bank holiday weekend was defined by Mrs Carter herself.
