While it can be frustrating to attend a concert where audience members are on their phones the whole time, it has its benefits for the rest of us. Thanks to Twitter and Instagram, those of us not lucky enough to score tickets to the opening night of Beyoncé and Jay Z’s On the Run tour — at Sun Life Stadium in Miami — can still get a pretty comprehensive idea of what we were missed. (So many Blue Ivy videos!) Here’s what we pieced together about the 42-song spectacle, with a little help from social media.
To begin with, it was insanely difficult to get there.
And people got impatient.
Although people did have a chance to check out pregnant Kelly Rowland while they waited.
And LeBron too, apparently.
But then Jay and Bey finally came out and it was all worth it, because they looked good. Really good.
Bey in particular.
They started things off with a few of their collaborations, opening with “‘03 Bonnie and Clyde†before segueing into “Show Me What You Got,†“Upgrade U,†and “Crazy in Love.â€
And there was lots of pink fog and dancing during “Crazy in Love.â€
Then there was some Jay Z solo action, with “N****s in Paris†(no Kanye cameo, sorry) and “Tom Ford.â€
Followed by “Flawless†and “Yonce.â€
… which gave Bey a nice chance to show off her ass cheeks.
People were pretty turnt up.
Especially when Bey did “Ring the Alarm.â€
Then there was a bunch of other assorted throwback stuff. In order: “Jigga,†“Dirt Off Ya Shoulders,†“Naughty Girl,†“Diva,†“On to the Next One,†“Clique,†and “Baby Boy.â€
Followed by “Haunted,†with a great outfit to boot.
Purely based on social-media output, it would seem that the evening was pretty Bey-centric.
While others begged to differ. (Perhaps Jay Z fans are just less Instagram-savvy?)
Maybe it really was just the best of both worlds.
Anyway, after “No Church in the Wild,†they did “Drunk in Love†and everybody was excited.
And people took a lot of pictures.
Next up was “Public Service Announcement†and “Why Don’t You Love Me?†followed by “Holy Grail,†with Bey taking on the Justin Timberlake part. It was awesome.
Then there was more assorted awesomeness, including: “Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit,†“Beach Is Better,†and “Partition,†during which Beyoncé pole-danced and got pretty erotic, as expected.
Followed by a “Countdown†interlude, “99 Problems,†and then “If I Were a Boy,†which segued into a cover of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor.†More excitement.
After “Song Cry†and “Resentment†(which Bey sung wearing a wedding dress), she did a little Michael Jackson tribute, performing “Love on Top†with an “I Want You Back†instrumental.
Side note: There also appeared to be a lot of cool video interludes throughout the night.
And at some point there was this adorable family video featuring Blue Ivy. There was a lot of Blue Ivy in the show.
After the MJ tribute came “Izzo (H.O.V.A)†and “Single Ladies.â€
And then everybody put their hands up in the air for “Hard Knock Life.â€
As things started to wind down, the audience was treated to “Pretty Hurts,†“Part II (On the Run),†and a cover of “Forever Young,†which included footage from the Carter wedding (!).
They closed the show with “Halo,†and “Lift Off,†along with a few more adorable home-videos.
And a stadium full of twinkling lights.
Overall, talk of their imminent divorce seemed greatly exaggerated.
After it ended, some people said it was the best night of their lives.
And a lot of feelings were felt.
It was a beautiful night.