Yes, I know “Formation” actually came out on Saturday, but I’ve got better things to do in life than shit my pants the minute Beyonce so much as breathes. I didn’t actually listen until yesterday morning. Obviously I like it — the message is timely and really needs to be spread, so I’m with that, and the rich culture of New Orleans is always a welcome sight — but the way people have been losing their damn minds over this song/video simply because it’s Beyonce is pretty obnoxious.
If you’ve been reading Evil Beet for a while, you know I have a love/hate relationship with Queen Bey. I think she’s phenomenally talented and accomplished and I love seeing women out there doing their thing, killing it and dominating in whatever field they pursue. Also, she has some great tracks spread out over multiple albums and I enjoy the fact that she’s finally letting the “real Bey” (as in, not whitewashed as many of her early albums were) show. But she’s someone who very easily oversaturates the market and then has to get out of my sight so I can get less sick of her for a while. “Formation” is a great track with an even better message, but the fact that people were literally making gifs and sacrificing their first born five seconds after the song came out — without actually listening to the music or appreciating the meaning behind it (because yes, pop music can be meaningful) — makes me want to hate it, if that makes sense.
Have a listen/watch for yourself, if you haven’t already:
And that’s that. Like I said, I think this is a really timely release, done in such a way as only Beyonce could, so I’m loving it. Do I think it’s the best song I’ve ever heard musically? Not quite, but that almost doesn’t matter because I kind of feel like that’s not the point here. In recent years, Beyonce has made an effort to release stuff that makes people feel empowered, whether it’s women, people of color, whatever. The message behind that is more important than the melody itself at times, so it’s hard to really judge a track on anything other than its cultural importance.
ANYWAY, Beyonce’s going on tour and here are some dates. Beyhive VIP members can start buying tickets tomorrow, which kinda blows that it’s such short notice (her tickets are NOT cheap), while the rest of us peons will have to wait until February 16 to book.
NORTH AMERICA:
Wed. April 27 Miami, FL Marlins Park
Fri. April 29 Tampa Raymond James Stadium
Sun. May 1 Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome
Tue. May 3 Raleigh, NC Carter-Finley Stadium
Thu. May 5 Nashville, TN Nissan Stadium
Sat. May 7 Houston, TX NRG Stadium
Mon. May 9 Dallas, TX AT&T Stadium
Thu. May 12 San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium
Sat. May 14 Los Angeles, CA Rose Bowl
Mon. May 16 San Francisco, CA Levi’s Stadium
Wed. May 18 Seattle, WA CenturyLink Field
Fri. May 20 Edmonton, AB Commonwealth Stadium
Mon. May 23 Minneapolis, MN TCF Bank Stadium
Wed. May 25 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre
Fri. May 27 Chicago, IL Soldier Field
Sun. May 29 Detroit, MI Ford Field
Tue. May 31 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Field
Fri. June 3 Boston, MA Gillette Stadium
Sun. June 5 Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field
Tue. June 7 New York, NY Citi Field
Fri. June 10 Baltimore, MD M&T Bank Stadium
Sun. June 12 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
EUROPE:
Tue. June 28 Sunderland, UK Stadium of Light
Thu. June 30 Cardiff, UK Millennium Stadium
Sat. July 2 London, UK Wembley Stadium
Tue. July 5 Manchester, UK Emirates Old Trafford
Thu. July 7 Glasgow, UK Hampden Park
Sat. July 9 Dublin, IE Croke Park
Tue. July 12 Dusseldorf, DE Esprit Arena
Thu. July 14 Zurich, CH Letzigrund
Sat. July 16 Amsterdam, NE Arena
Mon. July 18 Milan, IT Stadio San Siro
Thu. July 21 Paris, FR Stade de France
Sun. July 24 Copenhagen, DK Parken
Tue. July 26 Stockholm, SE Friends Arena
Fri. July 29 Frankfurt, DE Commerzbank Arena
Sun. July 31 Brussels, BE Roi Boudoin