American music superstar Beyoncé took the stage for the first time in five years at Dubai’s latest ultra-luxury hotel, Atlantis The Royal.
It was a performance worth the wait, and one the invitation-only audience will remember for a lifetime.
Three costumes, an entire squad of backing dancers, a cameo appearance and an on-stage cameo from daughter Blue Ivy Carter to perform Brown Skin Girl, fire, water, smoke and fireworks aplenty.
Beyoncé has been away from the big stage, but she is back and better than ever ahead of an expected world tour later this year.
Despite organisers asking for no photography at the event a small number of videos were shared on social media and were met with rapturous praise from fans.
For her performance at the Atlantis Grand Reveal, the singer reportedly took home $24m – along with a stay at the resort’s $100,000 a night room – the world’s most expensive, but one she also paid for in just the first 20 seconds of her set.
With the show lasting an event-packed 73 minutes it worked out at a cool $328,767 per minute for Beyoncé.
VIP guests and celebrities eagerly gathered to watch a performance that included her hit songs such as Crazy in Love, Spirit and Drunk in Love.
Atlantis The Royal proved an impressive setting for Beyoncé’s return to the stage, with the imposing luxury hotel looming as a marble wreathed backdrop while the singer triumphantly performed some of her most loved tracks.
In some respects, Beyoncé’s resounding performance on stage is a testament to the positivity that has coloured the last year in Dubai. While many around the world have been told to tighten belts and prepare for recession and downturn, the mood in Dubai has been positively jubilant, with the boom times firmly in place.
The backdrop of her show was the “School of Athens” painting by Italian Renaissance artist Raphael.
