Concert Review: On The Run Tour w/ Beyonce and Jay-Z July 7, 2014

On July 7, 2014 Mr. and Mrs. Carter’s “On The Run Tour” came to Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium. My fiancé and I had been anticipating this show since the tour dates were announced back in the spring. Although we had seen Beyonce and Jay-Z perform live on many occasions this would be our first time seeing them share the same stage as co-headliners.

Ashley (fiancé) and I arrived at the venue around 6:30 PM. The show was scheduled to kick off around 8:00 PM so we had plenty of time to drink and socialize with fellow concert attendees. However, maneuvering through the crowd in the general concession area was quite challenging. It was extremely congested with inappropriately dressed ratchets and scrubs alike. Although we had hoped to purchase some tour paraphernalia from one of the many souvenir booths, neither Ashley nor myself had the patience to wait in any line unless it was for snacks or alcohol.

After we purchased our concessions, we headed down to our seat assignments. I was fortunate enough to find field seats, section C-3 during the exclusive pre-sale. This concert was one of a few Mother’s Day gifts for my lady. Like so many others, I felt that the ticket pricing for this tour was a bit ridiculous and unfair. In fact, our presence at this show can be attributed to my 2013 tax return. Had I not received it, we may not have been able to attend.

From 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM, I was getting faded off Miller Lites while listening to Ashley ridicule the many audacious females walking around the field. Let’s be clear: I am lifetime supporter of voluptuous and curvaceous women but ya’ll shouldn’t wear mid-drifts if your mid-section is hanging over your waistline (not in public anyway). It was beyond obvious this was a Beyonce crowd. Although I’m supposed to be a “hip hop head”, I’m not too proud to admit that she’s clearly the bigger draw in this scenario.

Around 8:50 PM, the lights went out and the crowd screamed. There is black and white footage of Beyonce & Jay-Z depicting them as “The Queen” and “The Gangster”. A narrative accompanied the footage but it was hard to decipher through the roaring audience. Anyway, the film clips continued with many scenes of Mr. & Mrs. Carter firing automatic weapons, hiding out in diners, and running from the law. Needless to say, this intro was quite entertaining and made for a perfect transition into the show opener, “’03 Bonnie and Clyde”.

It was a very exciting show with high production value. Most of the show consisted of Beyonce and Jay-Z alternating stage time every two songs, only appearing together on stage 4 or 5 times during the 2 hour performance. Jay-Z performed many of his hits including “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”, “U Don’t Know” “99 Problems” “Big Pimpin’”, “Tom Ford”, “Uknowigotit”, “On To The Next One”, “Song Cry” and “Hard Knock Life”.

Although Jay rocked the crowd all night, it was Beyonce who stole the show. She is an incredible performer. In fact she had more stage time than her husband which, quite honestly, was expected. She performed many of her hits including “Run The World (Girls)”, “Love On Top”, “If I Were A Boy”, “Single Ladies”, “Crazy In Love”, and “Flawless”. Unfortunately, she didn’t perform “Get Me Bodied” or “Freekum Dress” which are my personal favorites.

Overall, Beyonce and Jay-Z gave a fantastic performance. If you have a chance to catch the On The Run Tour this Summer, I highly recommend it. If the excessive pricing is turning you off, keep searching for deals online. Although I bought my tickets well in advance, my fiancé found tickets literally the night before in better sections.

Final Grade: A

-Charles Rigmaiden