Beyonce’s $26 million Dubai performance was a ‘cascade of mistakes’ and she looked ‘terrified’, says expert
BEYONCE’S controversial Dubai mega performance was riddled with slip-ups, a body language expert has claimed.
And she thinks that despite her pocketing a fat fee, the petrified pop icon’s gestures show she didn’t rehearse properly.
Beyonce’s biggest live performance in five years took place on January 21 and delivered her a whopping $ 26 million fee.
But while the pop star’s headline event at the glam Atlantis Royal hotel in Dubai looked promising, it first drew backlash simply because she’d agreed to perform there.
At the time, what hadn’t measured up for many was Dubai’s history of anti-LGBTQ policies alongside Beyonce’s album, Renaissance.
And while her recent masterpiece had honored Black queer culture and reaffirmed her support, in Dubai she didn’t perform any of its tracks.
But body language expert, Patti Wood claims this wasn’t the only issue surrounding the 85-minute gig because Beyonce’s performance didn’t even make the cut.
Unpicking the star’s on-stage movements in an exclusive interview Patti told The U.S Sun: “We all know how much Beyonce was paid for this performance, so the expectation was very high, and she didn’t meet it.
“I spotted a cascade of mistakes which seems strange at her level.
“At one point she’s wearing high heels and on this tiny strip of boardwalk over water.
“She might have been terrified to sing any song there.
“This is typically a fault by a combination of people.
“The performer needed to say, hey, I need these many rehearsals with the sound checks, with the pyrotechnics, and in costume to perform at this level.
“She might have a team of people around her saying, it’s a heck of a lot of money, let’s just go for it.”
It was during Saturday’s prestigious event that the 41-year-old megastar performed a string of hits in front of an invite-only, star-studded crowd.
These included XO, Flaws and All, Ave Maria, and Halo.
But while the singer, who’s currently worth around $360 million, kicked off with a cover of At Last and Patti claims Beyonce fell short.
“We’re used to seeing Beyonce be pliable where her movements are smooth, curved, and snake-like from the top of her head all the way down to her feet, ” she says.
“Beyonce can bend, and we always see her stretching and looking very limber.
“One other characteristic of her historically in her baseline is her very free head movements.
“She moves her head from left to right, deeply forward and back.
“It’s her standard and the expectation of her performance.
“But here I see stiff straight up and down body language and where you don’t see a lot of side-to-side head movements.
“She’s standing and moving as if her back or her neck hurts.
“While there was a mention of foot surgery what I’m seeing is there’s no pliability and movement.
“It’s not her clothing or any headpiece or anything that’s doing that, but it’s distinctly different.
“Beyonce isn’t feeling the same and isn’t feeling comfortable in herself.”
At first and amid a flurry of loud fireworks, smoke, and bright lights, Beyonce appeared on stage decked out in a spectacular yellow couture dress with cut-out slits.
And while her get-up looked uncomfortable as she navigated the huge feather train behind her, Patti says it was Beyonce’s body language that spoke volumes.
“In the section where she’s high up on the top of the platform, this is the first moment and first impression for the entire performance, “adds Patti.
“This is a moment that every performer knows is critical.
“Yet she does a hair adjustment which is a comfort cue and that indicates that she’s nervous and is asking, how do I look?
“Beyonce got scared here and needed to self-comfort.
“She’s also yelling at times and shows some vocal strain, and this comes more so in the last song in the pink outfit.
“Usually, singers put emotional emphasis on certain words to show what they’re feeling.
“Beyonce isn’t doing this and very quickly, is just going through the words.
“She might be tired, she might be nervous, but that’s not her typical standard.”
Amazingly, after the mom of three hit the stage, despite the event organizers’ strict no-phone policy, footage of her performance began to circulate online.
As the world looked on, a wow moment unfolded which saw Beyonce invite her 11-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy onto the stage.
“Beyonce and Blue Ivy were great side by side and she looked comfortable while they sang Brown Skin Girl Skin together, “says Patti.
“There wasn’t any anxiety or nervousness or conflict or anything between the two of them.
“This part of the performance can be compared to Beyonce’s Obama performance because that was so magical.
“What you’re seeing in her performance verbally, you know, editorially and nonverbally, is that she has this absolute joy coming through her body.
“So, she’s feeling this true, beautiful and lovely moment
“Just the way her body kind of rises and moves.
“Her whole face has a serenity in her face, and she’s real and present.”
Beyoncé’s finale saw her decked out in a powder pink minidress and leggings embroidered with crystals.
And it was then that she was carried into the sky while singing Drunk in Love.
“In the section where she’s coming down the steps in the pink outfit, she’s singing very hesitantly, “explains Patti.
“She adjusts her earpiece and isn’t getting a good sound.
“She’s off-key and it’s bad.
“It’s the last song of the show where she looks afraid.
“It’s where there’s pyrotechnics at the end and it’s here, she’s showing the strain.
“There’s an external context that might be affecting her body language and her delivery.
“I think there might be an excuse for an external cause, but that all tells me that they didn’t rehearse enough.
“I think she needed more rehearsal.
“Rehearsal of going over and over in costume with the sound checks.
“If Beyonce had done more rehearsals, I don’t think we’d see this much.
“I know Dubai is considered a luxury market.
“This means they only hire the best of the best and have the highest level of expectation for the performance.
“They’ll pay for that.
“And along with that, they have expectations to meet their timeline, which can be unusually quick.
“After five years you’d think she would have made this perfect.
“I would have said to her, next time you better practice more, you better rehearse.
“It showed her lack of rehearsal and readiness.”