Beyoncé is the Queen Bey in triumphant MetLife concert

nypost.com:

It completed the New York takeover of Mr. and Mrs. Carter after Jay-Z’s “Book of HOV” exhibit opened at the Brooklyn Museum a couple of weeks agoTwenty years after they had one of the all-time songs of summer with Bey’s first solo smash, “Crazy in Love,” Bonnie and Clyde are still running this town.

But unlike the last time Beyonce played MetLife — during their joint “On the Run II” tour in 2018 — this one is all about B.Arriving in a cloud of smoke — regally resplendent in a black and white gown, white opera gloves and diamond chandelier earrings — she looked as if she was ready to perform at yet another presidential installation, not the “Renaissance” World Tour.

And opening with “Dangerously in Love”—the title track of her debut solo album released 20 years ago—she flexed some of the melismatic, Mariah-esque flourishes that were more prevalent in her early career while chants of “Beyoncé” would barely let her finish the song.Then she went into “Flaws and All,” a fan-favorite deep cut from the deluxe version of her “B’Day” album.And when she sang “I’m a peasant by some standards/But in your eyes I’m a queen,” she smiled as she acknowledged that she was now the kind of music royalty that is her generation’s answer to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.But in the first of six acts—featuring only ballads such as “1 + 1”, “I Care” and a surprising, gutsy cover of the Mary J.

Blige classic “I’m Going Down—it was almost as if Beyoncé was opening for herself. Because, really, who else could do it?And before all the dancing and razzle-dazzle, she reminded you that she was a singer first and foremost, despite “Renaissance” not always being the kind of traditional vocal showcase that previous projects have been.