Beyoncé shared the spotlight with her daughter Blue Ivy Carter as she made her long-awaited return to the stage in Dubai.
In her first headlining show since December 2018, Queen Bey put on what was billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime performance” on Saturday night (January 21) as part of the grand reveal of Atlantis The Royal, Dubai’s newest ultra-luxury resort which opens next month.
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The exclusive, invite-only concert ran for approximately one hour and earned Beyoncé a reported $24 million. Attendees included her husband JAY-Z and their three children, her parents, Tina and Mathew Knowles, as well as the likes of Chloe and Halle Bailey, Nia Long and Kendall Jenner.
The theatrical production, which opened and closed with a spectacular fireworks display, saw the pop icon bring a bevy of ballads to life, including “Freedom,” “Spirit” and “Be Alive,” in addition to party-starters like “Crazy in Love,” “Naughty Girl” and “Drunk in Love.”
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One of the highlights came when Bey’s 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy joined her onstage to help her perform “Brown Skin Girl,” their collaboration from the 2019 The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack.
Rocking a red sequined jumpsuit and billowy skirt, Blue Ivy stood next to her mother with a mic in hand and nailed the choreography that the dancers were doing beside them.
When the song ended, she “hugged her mom, walked up the steps, and struck a pose, even blowing kisses to the crowd like a pro before she left the stage,” according to Variety.
Blue Ivy previously shared the stage with Beyoncé during her show-stopping performance of the King Richard single “Be Alive” at the 2022 Oscars last March, which was filmed at a tennis court in Compton, California in tribute to Serena and Venus Williams’ roots.
In 2021, the preteen became the second-youngest Grammy winner ever at age nine when “Brown Skin Girl,” which she co-wrote and sang on and whose music video she appeared in, won Best Music Video.
Beyoncé’s lucrative Dubai concert didn’t include any material from her latest album Renaissance, which she’s presumably saving for her rumored 2023 tour. Queen Bey is also reportedly in talks to perform at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, which take place in Los Angeles on February 5.
The 41-year-old is nominated in nine categories — the most of any artist this year — including Album of the Year (Renaissance), Record of the Year (“Break My Soul”) and Best R&B Song (“Cuff It”).
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Meanwhile, it was reported last November that Beyoncé is planning a joint project with JAY-Z as part of her Renaissance trilogy. According to The New York Times pop culture reporter Kyle Buchanan, the second installment in the series will be an “acoustic” album, followed by a full-length collaboration with her husband, whom she previously teamed up with on 2018’s Everything Is Love.
Check out the setlist for Beyoncé’s Dubai concert below.
At Last (Harry Warren cover)
XO
Flaws and All
Ave Maria
Halo
Brown Skin Girl (with Blue Ivy Carter)
Be Alive
Spirit of Rangeela (Performed by Firdhaus Orchestra)
Otherside
Bigger
Spirit
Freedom
I Care
Beautiful Liar
Bwatwains Beek (Performed by Firdhaus Orchestra)
Crazy in Love
Countdown
Naughty Girl
Drunk in Love
