This was the grandest moment of my life. For almost 24 hours, I had no words and no ideas of how to write this post. But I am.. because if you're like me, you'll Google to see how the concert went by an actually goer. So here I am. To tell you how the picture to the right made my moment for life come to existence. As many of you have read (from my bio), I am a HUGE Beyonce fan. When I heard the tickets were going on sale, I immediately prepared myself for the rush. Last year, the tickets for the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour sold out in the closest city near me in less than 2 minutes. I had got a hold of some tickets before they sold out; however, I had no one to go with. Finally, i had the funds to purchase tickets for the On The Run Tour and more so, it's both JAY AND B I will be seeing (2 for 1!) This is how tickets worked. On Tuesday, April 28th, tickets would go on sale with a presale code to Bey's fans only. The next day April 29th, Chase card members were able to order. The following day would be for Facebook fans. May 1st was reserved for radio fans. & lastly, May 2nd was fair game to anyone without a ticket already. I had missed the fan club day due to work, I didn't a own Chase card, I had the greatest tickets on April 30th but my mom's friend didn't answer her phone so I could purchase them but I managed to guess the presale code for the radio fans' day! I screamed so loud that my coworker was afraid I was dying! "You're going to On The Run Tour: Beyonce and Jay-Z!" The best words in the world to me. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't retain myself. I own many of Beyonce's live concert shows on DVD & I cried like I was actually in the audience just from watching (no, I'm not as crazy as this sounds.) Anyway, I was ecstatic for this concert. Just from watching DVDS, I knew this was going to be an amazing show. & on the plus side, this is the first tour that Beyonce and Jay-Z have ever had together in history.
Cincinnati, Ohio
It took three hours to get to Cincinnati from my hometown. We left at 10 AM on the morning of the concert and arrived in Springdale, Ohio around 2:30 PM. Springdale was about 10 minutes outside of Cincinnati. We stopped there to eat at a popular seafood restaurant called Pappadeaux. The food was yummy especially after the long ride there. At Pappadeaux, I met my mom's friend (Ms. Yo)'s friends. Of course, I was the youngest of the group sitting in at the age of 20 while the ladies I was around were in their 30's. Yet, I related to them more than I actually expected. But that is another story within itself..After lunch at Pappadeaux, the ladies and I headed to our hotel at the Marriott of the University of Cincinnati & prepared for the concert around 5. Time wasn't on our side but we were on our way to the concert by 6:30. Before we entered the stadium to find our seats, we HAD TO stop at the Merch stand(s) so I could pick up my OTR shirt. At first, the shirt I wanted was sold out in my size *insert crying emoticon* Instead of my shirt, I got two posters for $20 ($10 each). The merchandise for sale included tshirts for $40 each, a program booklet of pictures for the promo of OTR for $25, posters of the couple or Beyonce at $10 each, a snapback hat (not sure of price) and a bandana (not sure of price). There were a lot of options of tshirts (also some shirts were available in tanktops). But when I saw this shirt, I instantly fell in love (one day I'll upload the posters in their frames). SO after I bought my merch, we proceeded to find out seats and wait for Beyonce to come out in all of her glory. Being that this was my first concert, I wasn't expecting much and when Beyonce didn't pop out at 8 PM, I didn't know the difference because I had never known of concerts starting on time (do they?) Anyway, the show did not begin until 9:20 on the dot (doors opened at 6, show was supposed to start at 8). The couple opened up with a video of the OTR promo marked with the words "THIS IS NOT REAL LIFE." Meanwhile, the crowd and I am cheering!
When Beyonce and JayZ were beginning to come up on stage, I was like:
Next thing I knew, I was screaming "I LOVE YOU BEYONCE!"
& as flawless as she is, Beyonce had no problem giving us the performance of our lives. From my seat, I was able to snap a few pics and videos of the couple as they performed. This concert was the absolute best experience of my LIFE (other than graduating high school). The concert kept me on my feet the entire time. Beyonce is an amazing performer. I am not just saying that as a fan but as a critic and writer also. You can tell she was giving her all through her performance and not only that but she was humbled by the fact that her fans love her so much as to cheer her on with such glee. I noticed at time she stopped singing to stare at us and smile. She had no issue walking around near the stage to touch her fans and allow them to sing. Beyonce was very interactive with the crowd. Not only that, Jay-Z did not disappoint with his performance. I enjoyed how Beyonce would make things sexy while Jay-Z would hype it up! For example, Beyonce performed Partition with the sexy chair dance she did in the official video from her visual album.Soon after Jay-Z came out and had us screaming the lyrics to 99 Problems. The show was so amazing especially with the effects. As with previous performances, Beyonce never disappoints when it comes to stage effects. I was impressed by the onstage fire, falling lightening and the switch-a-roo chair. By switch-a-roo chair, I mean, Jay-Z sat on a chair to finish his act & it turned around to Beyonce sitting on the other side. Once she got up to walk to center stage, Jay-Z had disappeared into the basement of the stage. I couldn't wrap my head around it. It was so dope. The power couple wrapped up their act with a never before seen look into their daily life with Blue Ivy (their 2 year old daughter). Beyonce sang the hook of "Young Forever" as the slideshow started and Jay-Z soon took over with a wrap. As they were performing, you could feel the chemistry between the two. Not only was Jay occasionally whispering in Bey's ear which lead her to giggle, they showed PDA which was unheard of for them. I thought it was cute. More so, as they performed, Beyonce and Jay looked at each other with such adoration. You could tell they are in love. They sang to each other during "Young Forever" with promises they want to be with each other forever. The slideshow (at this time) showed pictures of Bey & Jay before marriage, at the alter, getting their matching tattoos. As the slideshow begins to transitions into Blue Ivy's birth, Beyonce begins to sing "Halo" dedicated to her beautiful little girl. The slideshow begins to show Beyonce's pregnancy (yes she included a belly photo for all of you who believe she faked her pregnancy), Blue Ivy when she came home, when Blue first began crawling and more family photos. At the end of the slideshow, a picture of the words "The Carters" written in the sand of a beach with the title that read "THIS IS REAL LIFE" bleeping in and out. Beyonce was all smiles as the slideshow played and cried a bit when Blue was played. You could see the proud parent look on her face. Her and Jay concluded the show with thanking us for coming out. I didn't want it to end.... Overall, the show was more than I imagined it to be. If you ever get the opportunity to see Beyonce perform live, PLEASE GO! You will not be disappointed.
I promise.
♥
Reisha