When Beyonce went on tour, I was all too geeked to use someone else’s fan club info to gain access to the pre-sale reversed for members. I wanted to get as close as possible – I’m talking close enough to see the glue under her lace front melt away. Then, I saw the prices, and I thought to myself, “Should I really spend this much money?” My rationale was that I had just graduated from college, looking to move, and on the job hunt, so maybe I should start being a responsible adult and save my money for something more practical. I think it’s fair to say I was being an idiot. I was already financially challenged (the term broke is hurtful), so one concert wasn’t going to make that much of a difference.

Then over Thanksgiving I sat and watched The Beyonce Experience. While I know how much I would have loved to see the show live, after watching the concert on DVD, I can’t say that I’m pressed anymore. I’ve seen Beyonce four times in the last six years, and while I’m not looking to get my stan card revoked (but hell, if telling her she needed a muzzle didn’t get me booted, nothing will short of me asking Mathew for a check will), I have to say that mid-way through the show, I got a little bored.

No, I haven’t been possessed. Don’t get me wrong, it was an excellent show. The energy level was high, the incorporation of a live band added new elements to the songs, and Beyonce’s voice is a lot stronger. There was nothing wrong with the show per se. It’s just that while watching it, I kept thinking to myself how I’ve seen all of this all before…several times over, to be exact.

I’ve witnessed Beyonce’s shtick on the TRL Tour, the Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Ladies First Tour, the Destiny Fulfilled…and Loving It (thanks, McDonalds) Tour, and about 80 different awards shows since Beyonce launched her solo career. The same fans she bends down to so her hair can blow in the wind, the same choreography, even the wig – same old, same old.

Beyonce needs to embrace it. Madonna, Janet (up until recently anyway), and even Britney Spears to a degree all add something different to their stage acts. And even if I don’t always like the finish product, I have to give it to Alicia Keys for at least coming up with a new idea and taking the time to the flesh it out. I love B’Day, but I can only imagine how much better the album could have been if the recording process lasted more than two weeks.

Beyonce has been going virtually non-stop for a decade now. I think it’s beginning to even take its toll on her.

I mean just look at her. She looks like the Green Goblet. The girl has to be tired.

After ten years Beyonce now enjoys the status that affords her the chance to go away for a while and come up with something new. There’s no other comparable entertainer out now. The DVD proves that. I get her competitive streak, and the notion that there’s always someone ready to take your place, but c’mon nah, overkill does even more damage than a would-be replacement. Beyonce should give us all the opportunity to miss her.

It would benefit her on so many levels if she just sat her ass down somewhere for a minute. Develop a new sound, a new image, buy a new wig. Why not try the short cut from the “Me, Myself, & I” video? Something, damn.

And more than anything, it would benefit me if she took some time off. She.Is.Everywhere. You can’t escape her. I could say it's my fault for being a stan for so long, but I could evade Beyonceitis and Beyonce would still be in my face. I think she’s on a mission to out endorse every celebrity on the planet. I’m surprised her left cheek doesn’t read, “Brought to you by Geico and the House of Dereon.” The right probably reads, “Paid for by Popeyes.”

For ten years I have loved the experience, but I think it's time for a much needed break! Or maybe, just maybe, if she included "Kitty Kat" in her set, everything mentioned above would be forgiven. Why couldn't she include that song? It's not like we needed another DC medley. She didn't even give us a full video on the DVD. The least she could have done was perform the song on stage. Mmph.

Labels: review