Why Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Tour Is a Stadium-Shaking Triumph

Brian Hiatt
·2 min read
5
Beyoncé's tour doesn't hit the U.S. until July, but fans are already following it closely online. - Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Beyoncé's tour doesn't hit the U.S. until July, but fans are already following it closely online. - Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour, a stadium-shaking dance party built around last year’s album of the same name, won’t begin its U.S. run until a July 12 show in Philadelphia, but thanks to TikTok and YouTube, stateside fans already have a decent sense of the show. It begins with Beyoncé essentially serving as her own opening act via a mini set of ballads before exploding into a show built around the Renaissance album, with songs from her previous albums worked in among the new hits (or in some cases, as with a taste of “Sweet Dreams” in “Alien Superstar,” during them).

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The new episode of our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast dives deep into the tour, from its set list to its technological innovations. (Find the episode here at the podcast provider of your choice, go directly to Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.)

In the episode, Brittany Spanos joins host Brian Hiatt to discuss the discourse around and experience of the tour on TikTok and elsewhere, while Daily Telegraph music critic Neil McCormick — who just gave five stars to Beyoncé’s performance in the Welsh capital of Cardiff — offers a firsthand look at the tour. “Beyoncé has spent 25 years doing what she does at an incredibly high level and always trying to up up the ante,” says McCormick. “This is Beyoncé showing who’s the queen, and it’s at the top level of where a show has ever, ever been.”

Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone’s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). Check out six years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many others. Plus, there are dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.

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