Beyoncé’s come in for a battering over the last couple of weeks in the press. We’re not going to play holier than thou, we took our shot at Beyoncé miming the inauguration, but we were more than happy to see what Beyoncé had in store for us come the Super Bowl.
The questions were there to be answered. Would she sing live? Would there be any guests? Thankfully, the answer to both was an enormous yes.
While it would have been easy to cop out with a pre-recorded performance, Beyonce took to the stage fully live, and made us all wonder once again why she decided to lip-synch at Obama’s celebration, delivering a vocal of incredibly power, despite pulling of some rather intensive dance moves at the same time.
Not only did she deliver a brilliant vocal, but this was a performance filled with as much raw energy and swagger as the event it accompanied. The visual panache was also magnificent, with the show being as much for the crowds at home as it was for those lucky enough to be at the stadium itself. While most half time shows concentrate on one or the other, this was one that pulled both aspects off with ease.
This was all before the arrival of two ladies we’d hoped would show up, despite their frequent denials. We were definitely not disappointed by the return of Destiny’s Child. The appearance of Kelly and Michelle was not only dramatically done (with the pair shooting out of the stage to fireworks), but excellently done musically.
It didn’t turn into a nineties nostalgia fest like it could have been and ended up an energetic reminder of why they became the biggest girl group in the world. Kelly and Michelle may have only had a cameo performance, but it was a magnificently judged one.
The performance made a whole host of names take to Twitter in celebration, with singers like Carie Underwood, Justin Timberlake and Jessie J rightly joining the throngs of celebrities congratulating her on her performance. The praise was thoroughly justified.
This was a magnificent performance and if her recently announced tour can even contain 50% of that energy, then the crowds there will have the time of their lives.