As an AVID Beyonce fan, I did not expect this…
In February 2023, I like many people, signed up for the Ticketmaster madness to get Tickets to the Renaissance Tour. I decided to go by myself, because my friends did not have the job flexibility to travel abroad for a show, and I purchased a resale general ticket on StubHub for $200 to attend the concert in Marseille, France.
Although I’ve visited France many times, it was my first time in Marseille and it was a true testament to my French speaking skills. To make this trip happen, I booked a hotel approximately 20 minutes away from the venue and I managed to get a roundtrip flight from LAX to Paris for $350 using credit card points.
Unlike Paris, Marseille is a small beach town with many French speaking locals and very few American tourists. I arrived in town the day before the show, and when I checked into my hotel, the hotel staff informed me that many people from all over the world, were staying in the same hotel for the concert. They also told me it would be easier and smarter for me to Uber to the venue as opposed to taking public transportation as I had planned.
The day of the concert, I visited the beach and browsed around the mall. Although I had purchased a thrifted outfit before leaving the U.S., I couldn’t help but take a peak at the Renaissance Themed Collection at Zara.
At 6PM sharp, my Uber arrived and I headed to the show. Amidst the traffic, my driver told me most people that were attending the show were tourists and because of the traffic, I would have to walk approximately 1/2 mile to the venue entrance. Luckily, I was wearing platform sandals so I didn’t mind, but leading up to the entrance, I quickly realized that almost no one working for the venue spoke English, so I had to find my seat section on my own.
I found my seat, which was at the near top of the venue, and patiently waited for Beyonce to come on. I knew their wouldn’t be an opener for the show, so while I was waiting, I attempted to make conversation *in French* with the girl sitting next to me. She told me it was her first time seeing Beyonce and that she too had traveled alone the show. To get to the concert, she rode the bus for 5 hours from her small hometown to Marseille and planned to immediately take the same bus home at the end of the concert.
After an hour of waiting, we were anxiously awaiting the Queen to make her appearance, when it suddenly started down pouring on Club Renaissance. Since I was seated in the stands, I did not get rained on, but the weather delayed the show for another hour. Staff members attempted to sweep the rain water off the stage, but to no avail, as it kept raining after each attempt. Beyonce must’ve called a quits on clearing the stage, because she came out in the midst of the down pouring rain and the show finally started.
Although I’ve attended 4 Beyonce concerts in the past, this one didn’t hit like the others and it has nothing to do with Beyonce, her dancers, costumes, or the set list. The vibe of the crowd was the culprit. Unlike in the U.S., the fans weren’t as excited as American fans and were seated while smoking cigarettes for most of the show. I also think there was a language barrier when Beyonce spoke directly to the audience between songs because it seemed like the crowd wasn’t all that engaged or interested. I stood for majority of the show (because, well DUH! It’s Beyonce!), but I could count on one hand how many people in my section were doing the same.
Overall, I am happy I experienced Beyonce and the Renaissance tour abroad. Albeit, it wasn’t the concert experience I expected, the rest of my trip went really well. I did attend one of her shows in Los Angeles 3 months later to make up for it, but if someone were to ask which show was better, I’d say Los Angeles 1,000%!
If you want to see what the concert stadium, crowd, and show was like, head to my Youtube for the full video! As always, stay classy Kweens!