Beyoncé and Jay Z's "On The Run" tour HBO special premiered on September 20th, and featured a very special guest. "Super Bass"-rapper Nicki Minaj joined Queen Bey onstage to perform their epic "Flawless" remix for the first time.
See the performance above, which premiered on Vevo this week.
Over the past few weeks, Beyoncé has been releasing short (5 minute) documentaries where she opens up on inspiration and more, all having to do with her surprise album released December 13th. In the first week that the self-titled album went onsale, it sold over 1 million copies, shattering all previous iTunes records.
I highly recommend you set aside a few minutes and watch. See them all (in order) below:
Seven days after surprising the world and releasing a record breaking album out of nowhere, superstar Beyoncé brought her “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” back to the TD Garden in Boston for the second leg of the tour- and fans did not turn down for this one. The show was completely sold out, with the “Beyhive” in full attendance. Beyoncé was a little late in taking the stage, but the crowd could not have cared less. As it turns out, Mrs. Carter was actually at a Walmart outside of Boston in Tewskbury and gave all 750 shoppers in the store a 50 dollar gift card (total of $37,500)! Never have I heard of an artist being late because he or she was out doing good - bravo to you, Queen Bey.
The lights shut off, and everyone went absolutely insane. Beyoncé rose from under the stage (wearing her typical sparkly-getup) to deafening alarm sounds and pyrotechnics. Bow Down Bitches.
Beyonce performs onstage on her Mrs. Carter World Tour, on Friday, December 20, 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Robin Harper/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP)
Along with songs from her previous album “4”, Mrs. Carter performed some of her classic hits like “Naughty Girl”, “Crazy in Love” and more. But one of the biggest highlights from the night was when the opening rifts from “Irreplaceable” came on and Bey grabbed onto a harness and flew across the crowd wearing a dazzling-blue jumpsuit. That’s right. Beyoncé flew over the jam-packed GA floor to the “Bey Stage”, where she greeted the thousands who may not have had such a great view of her from the main stage (and the big-tag VIP purchasers “in” the stage). This was where she showed how much love she had for her fans. At one point, she put her microphone down, sat down on the edge of the stage and hugged a little girl (who started to cry). This appreciation wasn’t just for the VIP fans either. The “Single Ladies” singer walked around the “Beystage” and touched as many hands as she could, saying “Thanks”. I find it great that Beyoncé recognizes the fact that it’s because of the “Beyhive” that she is so famous today. There are many artists in the industry who forget this, so it’s refreshing to see the love pouring out from her into the crowd. Bey showed her love even more by going all out on “Love on Top” and finishing her “Beystage” act with the throwback “Survivor” before flying back over to the main stage.
Perhaps, though, the most special part of the night was the last song. Although she did perform “XO” off of her newest album “BEYONCÉ” (which was a highlight), “Halo” took the gold. This was the simplest performance of the night, which was what made it so special. Mrs. Carter walked around the stage thanking everybody, even waving up to the people in the balcony sections. She made her way to both front VIP pits, and once again showed her love for the fans. Bey kept thanking everyone for coming, which truly showed how grateful she was for the opportunity to entertain the city of Boston. No dancing, no fire, no visuals on the screen, just Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her fans.
Beyonce performs onstage on her Mrs. Carter World Tour, on Friday, December 20, 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Robin Harper/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP)
Reflecting on the “Mrs. Carter Show”, I definitely can say that it was one of the best concerts I’ve seen. This was truly a work of art, not just with the music and vocals, but also the dancing, the stage, the lights, and the confetti raining down during “Single Ladies”. Everything just worked together to create a natural-feeling set, a feeling I haven’t gotten many times at concerts in the past. The only thing I would have liked to see more of were performances off of her new album. However, that’s to be expected as it dropped mid-tour, and wouldn’t have been realistic as it would’ve required new choreography, etc.
I highly recommend seeing Beyoncé the next time she comes to a city near you. For tour dates and more info on the “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour”, visit Beyoncé’s official website.
Special thanks to Parkwood Entertainment.
Credit: Columbia Records
UPDATE 12/17: Apple released a press release regarding sales of the album, and it's absolutely incredible. In the first 3 days of the "Beyoncé" being on sale, it has sold over 828,773 copies- and that's just on iTunes. The album is also #1 in 104 countries. Go Queen B!
If anyone ever asked me if it would be possible to release an album out of the blue, without any prior leaks or knowledge from the public, my answer would have been no. Last Friday, however, none other than Beyoncé proved it to be possible. When I awoke Friday morning at 6:30, I checked Twitter and saw that there was a firestorm of tweets reading “Beyoncé released new album out of nowhere”. Seeing these, I instantly went to the iTunes store and bought it. There went my Friday.
Listening left me speechless. Not only are there 14 new songs, there are also 17 new music videos. Some of my favorites include the extremely sentimental “Heaven”, the Jay Z collaboration “Drunk in Love” and “Mine” featuring Drake. But these heavy hitting collabs were not enough for the Queen. Her song “Blue” features… Blue Ivy? Thats right. Beyoncé had her daughter record parts for the song—so adorable. I feel, though, that “Flawless” should be the last track on the list as the main verse “Bow Down Bitches” is the vibe that is emitted from the album, and for good reason.
Find 30 second clips of all the videos off of her “Visual Album” below. And, if you haven’t already, purchase the iTunes exclusive by going here.
Here's a Rap-Up of whats new and popular this week.
Magna Carta Holy Grail- Jay Z
This new album from Hov is his 12th studio album. It also has features from Justin Timberlake, Rick Ross, Frank Ocean, and wife Beyoncé. I have to say, just listening to it briefly, I really like it. My personal favorite from the album is the Justin Timberlake collab "Holy Grail". Click here to cop the album on iTunes.
"Magna Carta Holy Grail" is the #1 album this week (explicit) and #4 album (edited) on iTunes.
Jay Z and Justin Timberlake kick off their Legends of Summer tour in Toronto on July 17th. Find out if they are coming to a city near you, and buy tickets on ticketmaster.
Credit: Island Def Jam Records
Ciara- Ciara
Ciara definitely shows her sexy-side in her new self-titled album "Ciara". However, I have mixed feelings about it. While I do like how most of the album sounds, all songs have no "story". There is actually little meaning besides sex or drugs in most. Some of the tracks sound great, regardless of meaning like "I'm Out" with Nicki Minaj, whereas songs like "Backseat Love" are very difficult to even make it through. Check out the album here and let us know what you think.
"Ciara" is the #2 album this week on iTunes.
Credit: Epic Records
SINGLE: Acapella- Karmin
Now this is an interesting one. Karmin decided to create track using 90% vocals. When I first listened to it, it found it pretty hard to believe how great something that is mostly "Acapella" could sound so great. Take a listen and buy the single on iTunes.
Karmin joins the Jonas Brothers on tour which kicks off on July 10th in Chicago. Get tickets to see them in a city near you here!
Credit: Epic Records
