As the opening half of Super Bowl XLVII dragged on, the only thing keeping me even mildly interested was Beyoncé’s looming halftime performance. After a few Baltimore Ravens’ touchdowns and even more commercial breaks, Queen B finally graced the world with her presence.
Beyoncé opened up with her critically acclaimed hit “Love on Top,” bringing back memories of the 2011 VMAs, when she first announced on stage that she was pregnant with Blue Ivy Carter. She followed it up with a rousing rendition of “Crazy in Love,” the biggest hit of the summer 2003. Throughout both songs, Beyoncé hit every note while rocking out to amazing choreography.
A show-stealing rendition of “Baby Boy” followed later in the set, featuring regular interludes of Dutty Wine, a head dance that originated in Jamaica.
And this was all before the show’s most anticipated moment — the long-awaited reunion of Destiny’s Child. As Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams emerged from below the stage to join Beyoncé, the crowd erupted. The three women looked just as beautiful as they did in their heyday, singing along to their hit songs “Bootylicious” and “Independent Woman Part II.”
The last time the trio hit the stage together was in 2007 during “The Beyoncé Experience Tour,” and seeing the group perform again after the long hiatus was better than Christmas morning for all of us Destiny’s Child diehards. Bridging the old with the new, Williams and Rowland also offered up a special treat when they accompanied Mrs. Knowles-Carter on her solo hit “Single Ladies,” which somehow transitioned seamlessly into Beyoncé’s soulful “Halo” to close the show.
Beyoncé’s 13-minute set list of powerful vocals and flawless dance routines did not disappoint. Exhilarating and powerful all at once, this was one of the best halftime shows of our generation. My only complaint is that Beyoncé didn’t come back to give us more — the power outage would have provided an excellent opportunity for an encore.
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