Beyonce stunned the Coachella crowds on Saturday night (April 14) with a Destiny’s Child reunion as she closed out a spectacular set backed by an army of dancers, a full marching band and drum line.
She kicked off her headlining set, which she was forced to cancel a year ago when she fell pregnant, by marching along a catwalk set up in the crowd, dressed as an Egyptian queen and accompanied by nine dancers dressed in Tutankhamen bodysuits.
The girls then peeled off their outfits as the light shone on a huge pyramid made up of another 40-plus backing dancers and a full brass band.
Beyonce appeared at the top of the structure wearing a yellow college sorority top, butt-cheek-baring Daisy Duke denim shorts and knee-high white furry boots, and, after pausing to soak in one of her biggest crowds ever, she kicked off her set with Crazy in Love and Formation.
Her high-energy, dance-heavy set was all girl power, with the R&B superstar stopping the show after 10 minutes to demand a group of male dancers make her laugh before she launched into Sorry, laughing as she sang the famous line, “You better call Becky with the good hair”.
She then wowed fans by launching into Drunk in Love from a crane platform high above the audience.
As Saturday became Sunday at Coachella, the dancers and the marching band disappeared while the headliner performed Flawless and 7/11, and an unseen DJ Khaled demanded festival bosses rename the event “Beychella”.
Her dramatic set continued after a costume change as Bey hit the stage in shiny black leather boots, matching corset and jacket, with her backing army returning to the pyramid behind her, and furiously paced the stage for Don’t Hurt Yourself, her collaboration with rocker Jack White. She also belted out I Care, Partition, Baby Boy, Hold Up, and Check On It before her husband JAY-Z briefly joined her onstage for Deja Vu.
Beyonce then launched into Run The World (Girls) after another costume change, stating, “Coachella, thank you for allowing me to be the first black woman to headline Coachella”, before sending fans into overdrive by reuniting Destiny’s Child as Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined her onstage for a medley of classics, including Say My Name and Soldier.
She closed out her show with Get Me Bodied as she brought out her sister Solange for a spirited dance-off, before wrapping up the 100-minute set with her 2008 anthem Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and Love On Top, which she dedicated to her “loyal fans”, telling the Coachella crowd, “I’m so happy that I’m here. I was supposed to perform at Coachella before but I ended up getting pregnant so I had time to dream and dream and dream and I dreamt up this whole performance…”
The set list:
Crazy in Love (from Dangerously in Love, 2003)
Freedom (from Lemonade, 2016)
Lift Every Voice and Sing
Formation (from Lemonade, 2016)
Sorry (from Lemonade, 2016)
Kitty Kat (a cappella) (from B’Day, 2006)
Bow Down / I Been On (released 2013 on SoundCloud)
Drunk in Love (from Beyonce, 2013)
Diva (from I Am…Sasha Fierce, 2008)
***Flawless (from Beyonce, 2013)
Beychella (DJ Khaled)
Top Off (DJ Khaled cover)
7/11 (from Beyonce, 2013)
Marching Band Interlude
Don’t Hurt Yourself (from Lemonade, 2016)
I Care (from 4, 2011)
Partition (from Beyonce, 2013)
Yoncé (from Beyonce, 2013)
Mi gente (J Balvin cover)
Baby Boy (from Dangerously in Love, 2003)
Hold Up (from Lemonade, 2016)
Countdown (from 4, 2011)
Check on It (from B’Day, 2006)
Déjà Vu (with JAY-Z) (from B’Day, 2006)
Marching Band Interlude
Run the World (Girls) (from 4, 2011)
Lose My Breath (with Destiny’s Child) (from Destiny’s Child’s Destiny Fulfilled, 2004)
Say My Name (with Destiny’s Child) (from Destiny’s Child’s The Writing’s on the Wall, 1999)
Soldier (with Destiny’s Child) (from Destiny’s Child’s Destiny Fulfilled, 2004)
Get Me Bodied (from B’Day, 2006)
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (from I Am…Sasha Fierce, 2008)
Love on Top (from 4, 2011)
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