Fans have speculated that the B and K stand for Beyoncé Knowles, while the Delta alludes to her favored number, four). There were school colors (black and yellow - an homage to the Beyhive), there was a mock probate (an initiation ceremony wherein new members of Black Greek Letter Organizations are introduced) and there was collegiate apparel (Beyoncé wore a cropped sweatshirt emblazoned with the letters “BDK,” or Beta Delta Kappa. Flanked by hundreds of musicians and dancers (including former members of Florida A&M University’s band) on a set designed to resemble bleachers, Beyoncé presented what can only be described as Beyoncé University (arguably better than Hogwarts). “Beyoncé’s Coachella theme was re-creating the historically black college experience, which cannot authentically exist without a marching band,” writes Vulture. References to HBCUs and Black Greek Life Abounded
It was my pride/rage/power rolled up in 1 #Beychella I cannot stress how much of an important moment in music history, Black history, American history, the entire history of me – it was to hear Beyoncé sing Lift Every Voice & Sing while 100+ screamed to and through the Ancestors. The hymn’s title became a trending topic on Twitter as people reacted to its message: “The inclusion of the turn-of-the-century hymn was notable not only because of size of the audience but because of the setting - a mainstream festival that is known for being attended predominantly by white people,” Samantha Schmidt wrote in The Washington Post. James Weldon Johnson wrote the lyrics as a poem 1899, and his brother John later put the words to music. Just before transitioning into “Formation,” Beyoncé gave her rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a hymn known widely in America as the black national anthem.
Life began when i heard Beyonce's Lift Every Voice and Sing #Beychella /MG3RBTEChh Danny DeVito with an egg April 15, 2018Īs for Rumi and Sir? I’m guessing they were off doing something low-key like planning their 2020 Presidential run.
I thought Blue Ivy was going to make an appearance at Coachella idk maybe crowd surf or something Apparently Blue Ivy was watching from backstage, though she remained in high demand: The couple performed “Deja Vu” from Beyoncé 2006 album B’Day. This weekend, Solange showed up to return the favor, except this time their routine was far from spontaneous - it was an incredible, highly choreographed dance-off to “Get Me Bodied.” JAY-Z Showed Up for a Duet Wearing black and gold outfits that paid homage to their iconic matching looks of yore, the trio belted out “Lose My Breath,” “Say My Name” and “Soldier.” Solange Danced to “Get Me Bodied”įour years ago, Beyoncé surprised her little sister Solange at Coachella for an impromptu onstage dance (pictured above). Roughly 90 minutes into her set (happy accident or 90s nostalgia brilliance?), Beyoncé brought out former bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. In the words of Jon Caramanica for The New York Times, “There’s not likely to be a more meaningful, absorbing, forceful and radical performance by an American musician this year, or any year soon, than Beyoncé’s headlining set.” Needless to say, the internet has been freaking out. I spent a good portion of this morning combing for articles, tweets, rumors, fangirls, whispers, clips and gifs related to this topic out of personal interest and, by the end, I realized I had compiled a Beychella starter syllabus of everything that happened during her 105 minutes onstage: Destiny’s Child Reunited She performed for two hours and barely took a water break. She graced the world with a Destiny’s Child reunion. She sampled Nina Simone’s 1954 version of “Lilac Wine.” She paraded out trumpets, trombones, sousaphones, violins and fireworks. She played excerpts of a Malcolm X Speech. She delivered a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as the black national anthem. Not only was Beyoncé the first black woman to ever headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival over the weekend, but she also put on a show that was equal parts politically powerful and massively entertaining. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT BEYONCÉ AT COACHELLA. It’s 40-something degrees and raining outside and no one is doing anything except talking about Beyoncé at Coachella…