Review by Jess Tepper
Gaggles of women – girls, mothers and their flamboyant boyfriends – migrated from all corners of the greater Boston area to The Garden on Tuesday, 7/23 to witness the force that is Beyoncé, AKA Mrs. Carter.
Luke James serenaded the growing crowd of ladies (and the occasional sprinkling of men attending the show to make their women happy), with everything he had, from a Michael Jackson cover of ‘The Way You Make Me Feel,’ to handing out long stemmed red roses, all the way to stripping.  He tried, and we all give him credit, but when Beyoncé’s voice was heard through the mic, it was hard to remember who Luke James was.
A gang of sexy dancers in white and diamonds sparkled on stage as the curtain rose to ‘Run the World (Girls)’. They parted as Queen B herself strutted toward the front of the stage in a frenzy of high-heeled boots, dazzling while fringe and bouncing blonde curls, demanding the respect of all men everywhere with a powerful, “Who run the world. GIRLS.”
B’s dramatic intro continued to impact the show as curtains rose and fell, lights switched on and off and fire burned to create this sort of sexy fantastical world of Beyoncé and her gang of long legged, beautiful women. They dropped it low to Baby Boy, seductively shimmied to Naughty Girl and sashayed to Freakum Dress. Yes, the show oozed of sexuality as times, but at moments it was also emotional while the lady of the night stood alone on stage with nothing but a mic and her powerful voice singing ‘I care.’ Or, midway through the show when the Queen laid her purple diamond jumpsuit-covered body over a piano to softly coo ‘1+1’ to the sea of people swaying before her. This, shortly followed by a jaunt through the crowd to an alternate stage during which B managed to congratulate a soon-to-be mother, make fans cry out of sheer joy and thank survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombing with a throwback to a forever loved jam ‘Survivor’ by Destiny’s Child.
The night ended with a heartfelt sung ‘Halo’ that dampened the eyes of the thousands of fans who came from near and far to experience the magic Beyoncé brings to the stage. The lady of the night named each member of her all-women crew (the two male dancing twins she brought along), and showered them with compliments and thanks. And as the crew retreated to the depths of the stage while Beyoncé stood front and center, giggling and smiling and bopping her curly-headed mane of hair about like the girl-next-door we all adore her to be, the curtain dropped with a delicate cursive script that read ‘Fin.’
 

Set List:

1.      Run the World (Girls)
2.      End of Time
3.      Flaws and All
4.      If I Were a Boy
5.      Get Me Bodied
6.      Baby Boy
7.      Diva
8.      Naughty Girl
9.      Party
10.   Freakum Dress
11.   I Care
12.   I Miss You
13.   Schoolin’ Life
14.   Why Don’t You Love Me
15.   1+1
16.   Irreplaceable
17.   Love on Top
18.   Survivor (Destiny’s Child cover)
19.   Crazy in Love
20.   Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
21.   Grown Woman
22.   I Will Always Love You  (Dolly Parton cover)
23.   Halo
24.   Green Light / Suga Mama