1674358042 At Beyonces Dubai invitation only concert singer performs first show in

At Beyoncé’s Dubai invitation-only concert: singer performs first show in four years and duets with Blue Ivy

Beyoncé performed her first live show in more than four years, singing tunes she rarely does on stage and dueting with daughter Blue Ivy Carter.

The Grammy winner gave a nearly 75-minute performance in Dubai on Saturday to help open the city’s new luxurious and opulent hotel, the Atlantis Royal. Attending the invitation-only event included her husband Jay-Z, parents Tina Knowles-Lawson and Mathew Knowles and their three children, as well as celebrity guests, influencers and business people associated with the hotel.

“My beautiful kids are here to see their mom perform,” Beyoncé told the audience.

Blue Ivy, 11, received loud applause from the crowd as she took the stage to open with the song “Brown Skin Girl,” her collaboration with her mother that earned them both a Grammy Award in 2021.

“Where are all my brown skinned girls? Give it up for my baby, my tan girl, Miss Blue Ivy Carter,” Beyoncé said.

Beyoncé performs at the grand unveiling of Dubai's newest luxury hotel, Atlantis The Royal

Beyoncé and daughter Blue Ivy Carter perform at the grand unveiling of Dubai’s newest luxury hotel, Atlantis The Royal Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal

Blue Ivy – who made a cameo during her mother’s performance at last year’s Academy Awards – wore a red suit and sneakers, and her mother touched her face as she sang the song, which celebrates black and brown-skinned women. They also performed some choreographies together.

“Lovely greetings to all girls with brown skin. If you love women with brown skin, help me sing,” Beyoncé said.

In a feathery, pale yellow ensemble, Beyoncé opened the concert with her version of Etta James’ “At Last,” which she famously covered in 2008 playing James on Cadillac Records. Beyoncé also sang the classic during Barack Obama’s first dance with Michelle Obama on his inauguration night in 2009.

“Welcome everyone. I’m so honored to be here,” she told attendees, who were not allowed to record videos or take photos of the concert.

Beyoncé hasn’t performed any tunes from her latest album, Renaissance, but she has sung numbers she hasn’t performed in a long time, including “Beautiful Liar,” “I Care,” “Ave Marie,” and “Flaws and All.” ” She gave a mostly soft, acoustically styled set throughout the concert.

The singer performed alongside a full band, several backing dancers and the 48-piece all-female Firdaus Orchestra – all dressed in bright red. The Mayyas, the all-female Lebanese precision dance group that won last year’s America’s Got Talent, also performed and wowed the audience. And fireworks exploded in the sky and from the sides of the luxury hotel.

But Beyoncé also brought the energy.

After returning for her third ensemble cast – this time in a tight red dress and long red stockings – she showed up to sing “Crazy In Love,” beginning with the slowed down, remixed version of the hit. But then Sasha Fierce stepped in and Beyoncé, the dancer, was alive. She continued to seduce audiences with upbeat tracks like “Countdown” and “Naughty Girl,” and danced in the water while singing the hit “Drunk In Love.” She ended the concert with the anthem as she took to the air during a fireworks display.

Beyoncé also performed “Halo”, “XO”, “Be Alive”, “Freedom”, “Spirit” and “Bigger”. She mixed some of Camp Lo’s ’90s hits “Luchini AKA This Is It” with “Flaws and All” and on “Naughty Girl” she wove some of British-Indian musician Panjabi’s 2000 hit “Mundian To Bach Ke”. MC. which wowed audiences (Jay-Z appeared in the remix and helped popularize the song in the States).

“Where are my naughty girls?” she asked the crowd.

Beyoncé also got a loud roar after shaking her hips to her Shakira song “Beautiful Liar.” The singer wore designs by Dubai’s Atelier Zuhra, Lebanon’s Nicolas Jebran, Ukraine’s Frolov and Dolce and Gabbana. Veteran choreographer Fatima Robinson worked on the live show.

The private concert had the city of Dubai in turmoil for months – and this week social media exploded with various rumors about Beyoncé’s performances in the city. Guest performers included Kendall Jenner, Rebel Wilson, Ellen Pompeo, Winston Duke, Letitia Wright, Liam Payne, Chloe x Halle, Bar Refaeli and the Swedish House Mafia, who performed at the hotel after Beyoncé.

Beyoncé last performed live in December 2018. Her concert in Dubai comes two weeks before the 2023 Grammy Awards, where she will be nominated for nine awards and set a record by becoming the most decorated Grammy winner of all time.