Entertainment

Beyonce’s ‘Formation’ Honors Atlanta

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by Annette Johnson, editor

Beyonce honored Atlanta on Monday night as much as she did women during her Formation World Tour stop in the city.

As the sold-out show’s opening “hype man,” DJ Khaled kept promising surprises. He introduced cameos by Atlanta’s premier rap artists, including Young Jeezy, the Migos, the Dream, Young Thug, T.I., Ludacris, Jermaine Dupree, 2 Chainz, and Usher.

It was during the show itself that the audience got another surprise homage for Atlanta. Bey paid tribute to the late Atlanta rapper Shawty Lo (Carlos Walker) in a special mix of her song “I’m a Diva” and his hit song “Dey Know.” He died from “blunt force injury to the head,” according to medical reports, last Wednesday, Sept. 21, when his car careened off the road. The posthumous tribute sent the crowd into a frenzy, reinforcing their admiration for Bey’s symbolic gestures.

Among the most profound symbols was the orchid, which appeared on concert paraphernalia, as well as during video interludes. The ornamental plant represents love, luxury, beauty, and strength, which Bey depicted and declared throughout the show. Her outfits ranged from an intricately designed, lace bodysuit with a matching wide-brimmed black fedora to a sexy, red latex bodysuit.

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Meanwhile, she sang of strength (“Run the World”) and then reminded female audience members of their innate, unstoppable power. “If you are a woman,” she said, “you are strong. Nothing in this world can stop you. You are never alone. God is right here. We always know the answer. We can hear God’s voice.”

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Her stage was a pulpit where she spoke candidly from her heart and mind, including showing appreciation to fans. “Thank you for allowing me to grow and evolve,” she said. Like church, Bey said her favorite themes from the Lemonade album were “redemption and forgiveness.”

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She’s always had a voice to sing, but now she’s found her voice to roar. She delivered a rousing message of strength and empowerment for women, saying, “The most important relationship in life is the relationship you have with yourself. How you see yourself is how the world sees you.”

At one point, she showed a video when she was 16 years old, saying that if she gets out of line for somebody to just “slap” her. She didn’t want to offend or get out a line. Now she not only toes the line, but she has drawn her own line in the sand, declaring, for instance, “Dust to Side Chicks.”  Punctuating her lyrics with expletives in songs like “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” she says, “And keep your money. I’ve got my own.”

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For the close of the show, she and her dancers performed barefooted in a shallow pool of water, officially baptizing their formation and the fans’. Bey exited in the same spirit she came on stage, with the message that you can love through anything. Make it lemonade.

 

 

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