Music DVD Review: Beyoncé – “I Am…World Tour”

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Article first published as Music DVD Review: Beyoncé – I Am…World Tour (Deluxe Edition) on Blogcritics.

The mega, international diva, Beyonce takes us through a ride she calls her world tour, I Am…World Tour (108 Shows, 78 Cities, 32 Countries, 6 Continents, 1.1 Million Fans). Not only does this DVD contain a full length Beyonce concert, but we also get to see the softer side of her through intimate videos from her childhood, a sweet countdown until she gets to see her husband, and an au natural Beyonce in bed talking about fame.

As the lights go down, we see Beyonce for the first time. We also see her fans — the screaming, the yelling, the crying all for Beyonce. You think “am I about to see greatness?” The answer is yes! Beyonce is electrifying and all eyes are glued on her, even with a huge stage, dancers, and her band!

Beyonce starts her concert with “Crazy in Love” and of course she gets one of the most famous rappers, Jay-Z on stage with her, but it’s a perk of being married. Beyonce exudes energy from minute one to minute 93. You wonder how does she maintain her energy through the singing, dancing, costume changes, and stunts; but she does. She stays true to her fierceness, to her alter ego, Sasha Fierce.

Beyonce keeps the energy high with “Naughty Girl”, “Freakum Dress”, and “Get Me Bodied” and then she comes down for a while with slower songs like “Smash Into You” and “Ave Maria”, where she has an obvious tribute to her husband, Jay-Z. She misses him on tour (she includes a sweet countdown montage until she can see him again) and although they never speak on their relationship publicly you can feel the love. Beyonce also drops a little secret: she walked down the aisle to “Ave Maria” at her wedding and in her concert she dons a futuristic, but angelic type wedding dress during the song.

Beyonce is done being soft and is back to her warrior self (donning a metallic warrior/goddess costume) that looks hardcore for “If I Were a Boy/You Oughta Know”. Yes, she did “You Oughta Know” and she was cool doing it too. But Beyonce isn’t all fierce, she questions her own work ethic. Maybe it’s too much for her and her body (she is tired), but she pushes forward and we see the “Diva” emerge. Beyonce does “Diva” to photos of her traveling, running around the world, photo shoots, and her tour. She does not slow down.

Beyonce showcases a new song, “Hello”, which seems to be a love song to her husband, where she says “You had me at hello”, and the lyrics really shows her emotion. She talks about him being her air and her life wouldn’t be same without him! Sounds like a love song to me!

And then Beyonce leaves and Sasha Fierce enters. We begin to see the real divide and battle between Beyonce and her alter ego, Sasha Fierce. Sasha is fierce, dramatic, and fearless. Beyonce gets strapped into a harness and get pulled up into the air for “Baby Boy.” She hovers at least 50 feet in the air and then she lands in a center stage where she sings “You don’t love me” , “Irreplaceable”, “Check On It” and Bootylicious”. It’s amazing how so many different cultures and languages can sing all of Beyonce’s songs, which out missing a beat!

Beyonce may have a ton of hit singles, but she also remembers her roots with her group Destiny’s Child. She goes old school with “Say my name” before she slides right into her monster hit, “Single Ladies” (the song that launched thousands of youtube fan videos mimicking the “Single Ladies” dance).

Beyonce ends her concert with her sweet, angelic “Halo” and her reflections on fame. She then does the unthinkable and dives right into the crowd. It’s shocking to see one of the biggest stars let go a little and there she is with her fans and they love every minute of it! And she says, “I Am…Yours”!

What do we get from the DVD? A concert with a beautiful, talented singer and dancer who gives 100% on everything she does. A must see for fans!

The DVD comes with bonus tour footage: 23 minutes and 4 seconds of backstage access, rehearsals, costume designs, and photo shoots. It really shows you what goes into a tour and all the preparations from the production (the stage, lights, musicians) to song arrangements to dancers and sound. It’s massive. Also included in this DVD/CD combo is a separate CD of Beyonce’s live music.