In the week since Beyoncé marched into Coachella as a drum majorette with a 100-member band, transformed the traditionally rock & roll festival into a homecoming celebration at an HBCU and added another crown – Queen of ‘Chella, natch—to her collection, her show has been lauded as historic, a game-changer, and launched her even further into that “greatest performers of all time” conversation.
But after a dancer mentioned that some surprises would be tucked into their second show this weekend (and Coachella announced it would not live stream the concerts like last weekend) curiosity over what Beyoncé and band had under their berets – and how they could possibly top their first weekend – meant an even larger-than-usual crowd surged toward the main stage before Bey’s scheduled 11:05 p.m. set time.
Turns out, the changes primarily were cosmetic, and with good reason. With a stage show as full-blown and intricate as this, which was six months in the making, there’s no such thing as tweaking a little something here or adding an extra bit of choreography there. Move the wrong piece, and the whole thing tumbles like Jenga.
Besides, the show is as immaculate as you heard. If you rolled your eyes at what seemed to be hyperbole, you weren’t alone – but from inception to execution, this might be the most inspired, singular, thoughtful and downright beast of a stage…
