"BREAK MY SOUL" BREAKS THE INTERNET
When Beyoncé announced Act 1 of her three-part project, Renaissance, the world stopped, quite literally. "Break My Soul" took over the airwaves and made us want to "release our jobs, release the time, release our trades, release the stress, release the love, and forget the rest".
Courtesy of Beyonce.com
RENAISSANCE ALBUM DROPS Album cover images flooded the internet of the Queen looking ever-so ethereal draped in diamonds atop her artificial horse, now affectionately known by the beyhive as "Reneigh".
Excited, I swipe past the stunning album cover on my apple music playlist and play track number one and hear, "These mothaf****s ain't stopping me" and that's when I knew Bey was in her bag. "It's not the diamonds, it's not the pearls"...she's that girl!
I spent the summer, fall and winter listening the "Virgos Groove", "Cuff It", "Energy" and "Heated" learning each lyric, word for word in my car going to work, leaving work, AT LUNCH. I was obsessed!
RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR
"Please do not be alarmed, remain calm. Do not attempt to leave the dance floor. The DJ booth is conducting a troubleshoot test of the entire system"- Alien Superstar by Beyoncé
The Renaissance World Tour was announced a little over six months later, and after more than six years of Beyoncé not touring (and as an OG member of the Beyhive) I knew this would be a show I wouldn't want to miss, especially since she was going to be in my city, Las Vegas, the weekend before my 32nd birthday at Allegiant Stadium, August 26th & 27th!
Imagine being a Virgo AND and Beyoncé stan, and the Queen Motha Virgo herself is performing in your city, the week before both of your birthdays (August 30th (me) and September 4th (Bey)! ) It was destiny!
HOUSE OF CHROME
In true Virgo fashion, Bey instructed her "hive" to celebrate Virgo season wearing our best " silver fashions" to the shows between 8.23 - 9.22. It was a CALL TO ACTION and I obeyed her orders, mmkay?1 When Bey tells you to wear silver, you WEAR SILVER!
TIME TO GO SHOPPING! 🪩👡🩶🛍️
The dress I wore to night one of the Renaissance World Tour stop in Las Vegas came from Forever 21! I was definitely leaving the Renaissance shopping for last minute, but I knew the look I wanted to create!
I ended up wearing this $24 dress from Forever 21 and glasses from Lux Beauty Supply. Shoes were silver strappy heels that I already had.
Hair was braided by me, and my makeup was done by Matty Weiss. @MadeupbyMatty on Instagram.
🪩 TIME FOR THE RENAISSANCE 🪩
It's August 26th and finally the renaissance has arrived. Driving around Las Vegas, the air even felt different. Chrome, silver, sequins and fringe filled casinos, restaurants, and shopping malls.
Photo by Zora Asberry
As a former traffic news anchor who "quit her job" in search of "finding new drive", this concert was personal for me. I can't tell you how many days and nights I cranked up my stereo to the highest volume, turned on "Cozy" and shouted the lyrics;
"Been down, been up, been broke, broke down, bounced back. Been off, been on, been back, what you know about that?"- Cozy by Beyoncé
A few things I'm grateful for are my growth, finding my drive, happiness that comes from within and the knowledge to know how navigate the roads around Allegiant stadium during big concert nights (HA)! All ya girl needed was a ticket, a cute chrome/silver fit, and some "Energy".
RENAISSANCE NIGHT #1:
I had already bought tickets for night 2 of renaissance, but FOMO started to set in after seeing how Beyoncé switched it up for the Atlanta shows! I spent weeks scrolling through TikTok and researching stadium maps night after night, trying to strategize how I could see Beyoncé and have the time of my life. I had seen a million videos of fans getting their tickets day-of and getting great seats for super low prices. Other videos said certain event staff were giving people seat upgrades, if you asked the right person (closed mouths don't get fed, right?) So I decided to put both rumors to the test!
Photo by Zora Asberry
Sure enough, on Saturday August 26th I found floor seats for $367 in Sec C1, Row 18, Seat 2!!! Now these tickets were phenomenal (Honestly, any seat in the house is good), BUT, I learned quickly why these ones were so cheap. First, it was a single seat, which was perfect for me because none of my friends are crazy enough to buy last minute floor seats and go two nights in a row.
Second, there were tall risers on either side of the circle stage where Bey performs "Break My Soul", obstructing the view of the main stage, which was not ideal.
MY MAGIC YEAR #32
I must've received some early birthday magic for my #magicyear #32, because as soon as I got to my seat a member of the event staff was right behind me. I nervously asked him for a seat upgrade because of the riser and without hesitation, they upgraded my seats!!! He told me to stay put for about 30 minutes and next thing you know, he ushers me to B1 ROW 2!!!! I wanted to CRY...in fact, I did cry when Beyoncé performed her opening song "Dangerously in Love".
Here was my view...
The entire show was absolutely incredible. From Beyoncé's stage setup with a gigantic split screen displaying a mirrored image of the flawless Queen, to her intricate costumes and choreography, you can tell each detail had been carefully thought out and executed to the "T". From the visuals displayed during her interludes to the musical transitions and mash-ups weaving in snippets of "Toxic" by Brittney Sprears and "Just Wanna Rock" by Lil' Uzi Vert , "Renaissance" is nothing short of a MASTERPIECE.
The highlight of the night for me was when Beyoncé performed Break My Soul. Not only does this song signify my personal growth, strength and resilience, but, I had the chance to witness Beyoncé, the GREATEST performer of ALL TIME, perform that song feet away from me. It is truly a moment that I will never forget.
RENAISSANCE NIGHT #2:
Night two was just as incredible as night one, but with new costumes and from a different perspective. This time around I was with one of my best friends, Julia. We danced the night away in our silver shimmery dresses! Here's a recap...
My favorite look from night two was Bey's "Cuff it" look!
Beyoncé continues her Renaissance World Tour through October 1st 2023. I would highly encourage you to experience the Renaissance for yourself!
As Bey would say, "Love you DEEP"!
Written by Zora Asberry