Beyonce made history on Saturday night to become the first ever woman of colour to headline iconic music festival Coachella, in Indio, California.
The singer, who had to cancel her appearance at the event last year due to doctor’s orders following her pregnancy, opened her performance with Crazy in Love from her debut 2003 album Dangerously in Love, according to CNN.com.
“Y’all ready, Coachella?” she asked the excited crowd, before performing for nearly two hours including a rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing, also known as the black national anthem. She also sang Deja Vu with her husband Jay-Z, and danced with her sister Solange before a sea of some 100,000 people in the southern California desert.
The pop superstar headlined the premier global music festival to end a year-long hiatus from live music as she gave birth to twins Rumi and Sir Carter in June last year.
Beyonce showed no sign of slowing down after her maternity leave, singing and shaking her body with little break for two hours as she led around 100 back-up dancers and musicians. She also treated fans with a Destiny’s Child reunion as Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined her on stage to perform their hits including Say My Name, Soldier and Lose My Breath. It was their first reunion since Beyonce’s Super Bowl halftime show in 2013. The group propelled Beyonce to stardom but was also beset by internal friction.
Ahead of her performance, she had teased her fans with a post on Facebook.
“I am so excited to see the BeyHive tonight at Coachella. We have been working hard and have a special show planned for you so please be safe and stay hydrated. We need your energy! There will be an hour intermission before my performance, so mark your spot, charge your phones, grab your drinks. Can’t wait to see y’all at 11:05pm!,” she said.
The singer and Jay-Z last week announced they were setting out on part two of their super hit 2014 On the Run tour, starting on June 6 in Cardiff, UK.
Coachella takes place over two consecutive weekends with identical lineups.
— with inputs by AFP
