MIAMI -- At one point during the kickoff of her Formation World Tour Wednesday night in Miami, Beyoncé sat on a throne, two women beside her, as she sang The Doors' "Five to One" -- the same song Jay Z samples prominently in his legendary 2001 Nas diss, "Takeover."
Jay Z's voice boomed over Marlins Park several times throughout the night, during both "Drunk In Love" and "Crazy in Love." Bey dedicated the show-closing "Halo" to him. And when she sang "Flawless," she opted for the remix that references the time that her sister Solange assaulted him in an elevator.
But Jay himself never appeared. Instead, Beyoncé made one thing clear from the beginning: This one's for the ladies.
BEYONCE IS LITERALLY PERFORMING ON A THRONE RN #FormationWorldTour pic.twitter.com/QCAOXItuv5
— Emily Blake (@emilymarieblake) April 28, 2016
DJ Khaled, Future and Lil Wayne had taken the stage before her, but when the main event started -- the one the sold-out crowd had been waiting for since February 7 -- there wasn't a single Y chromosome onstage.
As in Lemonade-- her intensely personal and revealing visual album that premiered on HBO Saturday -- Beyoncé was often surrounded by a group of black women. But this time, they were dancing in perfect formation.
She began, appropriately, with "Formation," an ode to black culture, a fierce statement against police brutality, a feminist anthem, and the very song that inspired a police union here to call for a Beyoncé boycott. Then came the very-not-sorry "Sorry," a kissoff that calls for the middle finger and urges "Tell him, boy, bye."
OK LADIES.... #FormationWorldTour pic.twitter.com/7rSj0AaopE
— Emily Blake (@emilymarieblake) April 28, 2016
After a performance of girls-night anthem "Run the World (Girls)," Bey went on to perform most of Lemonade. But there were a few notable tracks missing, like "Pray You Catch Me," "Sandcastles" and "Forward."
Maybe that's because while Lemonadetracks the many emotions that come with a turbulent marriage -- longing, anger, vengeance, and, ultimately, peace -- the mood Saturday night was all fun. Beyoncé seemed to deliberately choose a set list heavy with the "Single Ladies" and "Run the World"-style hits from her catalog, one lighter on heavy tunes like "End of Time."
SEE ALSO:Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' is the powerful message women needOn sale at the merchandise booth were shirts that read "BOYCOTT BEYONCE." But apart from that, the show mostly opted out of the most overtly political statements of "Formation" and her Super Bowl performance. Instead, the performance was a celebration of womanhood and everything it entails.
While most of the set list included songs from Beyoncé's latest two albums, she also dug deep into her earlier catalogue, including songs like "Countdown," "Survivor," "Bootylicious," and "Naughty Girl."
When it came time for "Single Ladies," Beyoncé started the I Am... Sasha Fiercehit by moving with her backup dancers. Moments later, she pulled two very, verytalented fans to perform with her. She stood back as they took the spotlight, giving them encouraging words along the way.
And for "Single Ladies," she brings up two fans and it's now just an insane no-men-allowed dance party pic.twitter.com/jgZagapEML
— Emily Blake (@emilymarieblake) April 28, 2016
Along with a performance of the seething "Don't Hurt Yourself" accompanied by raging flames, it was one of the standout moments of the night -- until the time she and her dancers started walking on water.
For a trio of some of her most empowering hits -- Lemonade's liberating "Freedom," the aggressive "Survivor" and "End of Time" -- Beyoncé was, for the most part, soaked. It was the closest thing I've seen to an onstage baptism since that time Bieber performed in the rain, a powerful image of the themes of redemption and forgiveness in Lemonade's second half.
But for the most part, the more introspective moments of Lemonadewere rare. Maybe that's why this isn't called the LemonadeWorld Tour. Like "Formation," it's for slaying.
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