Beyonce's much-anticipated “Formation” world tour brought a whirlwind of emotion to Heinz Field Tuesday night — power, passion, anger, celebration and empowerment.
The last time the 20-time Grammy winner performed in Pittsburgh was in 2005 at the Petersen Events Center with her former musical trio Destiny's Child.
The stadium event was not a sellout like most expected, but the crowd of 40,000 witnessed quite a show. The 34-year-old superstar performed to mostly women, from young girls to moms, and even shared the microphone with members of the BeyHive from time to time.
Beyonce brought her “Formation” tour back to basics, bringing to the stage her powerful range, endless dancing and glamorous stage outfits.
The show kicked off with Bey in a black-rimmed hat and bedazzled leotard, singing her smash hit “Formation.”
After moving the crowd with her opening performance, she upped the energy as she moved on to “Sorry,” ending with the most notable lyric of the night, “Becky with the good hair.”
Throughout the evening, she played classic favorites like “Run the World,” “Drunk in Love” and “Bootylicious.”
The concert brought all to their feet when she turned Heinz Field into a place of fun and dance as the evening progressed. She paid tribute to Prince, playing “Purple Rain,” as the audience lit up their phones.
In the final act of the show, Beyonce and her dancers splashed through the pool at center stage while performing several throwbacks such as “Nasty Girl” by Vanity 6 and “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics. Fans sang along to every word as Beyonce closed her show with a series of fireworks, singing the 2008 classic “Halo.”
After the two-hour spectacle, she proved that a show doesn't need a whole lot of confetti or flames to keep people entertained, just good music and good dancing. It's safe to say that the artist's solo debut in Pittsburgh definitely didn't disappoint.
Sydney Bauer is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.
