Beyonce enthusiasts expressed their joy through songs and dances in Stockholm on Wednesday, eagerly anticipating the commencement of the superstar’s first solo tour in seven years.
Hundreds gathered around the stadium to catch a glimpse of the world-renowned music star, with some having journeyed across the globe to attend the performance.
Beyonce, the holder of a record-breaking 32 Grammy awards, is among the top ten highest-earning female artists. She is also a style icon, with fashion designers queuing up for her approval.
Numerous fans in Stockholm wore cowboy hats and rhinestones, reflecting the star’s attire in the promotional materials for her 57-stop tour across Europe and North America.
Julie Vargas, who traveled from Houston, Texas — the birthplace of Beyonce — admitted to having a “shrine” dedicated to the superstar in her home.
“I don’t want any spoilers, I wanted to be the first to see it and take the news back to H-town baby!” the 38-year-old surgical technologist shared with AFP.
“I love Beyonce, it’s her style, it’s her songs, it’s the production, the choreography, it’s everything,” she further expressed.
Gabriel Cardeal, a 27-year-old medical student, too, made the long journey from Brazil.
“She has not been there for so long and it’s the first concert and we know nothing about it,” he acknowledged.
“There’s mystery around it, what she will sing, what she will wear, what clothes, what dances.”
The “Renaissance World Tour”, announced in February after a teaser in the fall, marks the artist’s first solo journey since 2016.
Tickets for the first performance at the 60,000-seat Friends Arena sold out so rapidly that the tour organizers had to schedule a second show for Thursday. After this, her next stop is Brussels over the weekend.
The tour, set to run until September, is projected to fetch the global star around $2.1 billion, as reported by Forbes magazine. She already holds the status of a multi-millionaire.
In February, Beyonce broke records by becoming the artist with the most Grammy wins, surpassing the longstanding record of 31 lifetime awards held by the late classical conductor Georg Solti.
However, despite securing four more Grammys, her fans were disappointed when she didn’t win the album of the year for her seventh studio album, the house-tinged “Renaissance”.
The 2022 album, comprising 16 songs, was an immediate success and was widely lauded for its profound aspiration.
Born as Beyonce Giselle Knowles, the 41-year-old has been a significant figure in pop music since her teenage years.
Her initial rise to stardom came as a member of Destiny’s Child, famous for hits like “Survivor” and “Say My Name”, before she embarked on a remarkably successful solo career.
