Beyonce: Put Some Money In It!

I just arrived back from the highly anticipated concert, "I Am...Sasha Fierce" starring Beyonce.  In many ways, Beyonce gave her audience exactly what they have come to expect from the multi-talented, multi-hyphenate entertainer: acrobatic vocals, strong choreography and a potpourri of beauty and charm.

However, at $175 a ticket (and that was for the "decent" seats), I believe there was a great deal Sasha Fierce aka Beyonce refrained from giving a deserving audience that expected to see razzle dazzle.  Unlike the spectacular concert "The Beyonce Experience" that preceded this show by about two years, "I Am...Sasha Fierce" was a stripped down, bare boned production that left this audience member wanting more.

Here are a few of the things that the artiistic director and Beyonce gave audience members in her previous show but struck from the current production. 

1. Opening Act (Robin Thicke opened at her previous show. This time? No one.)

2. Stage with a moving walkway

3. Robotic costume

4. Car on stage

5. Lighted multi-level platform 

6  Spotlight on the talented dancers in theatrical skits

7.  Props (Dancers pole, cigar, hanging microphone - all missing.)

8.  Mindblowing costumes

Smoke and confetti were minimal.  Pyro's were non-existent.  The concert did feature Jay-Z, however, his appearance was less than two minutes and he could have been reciting the alphabets and the screaming fans would have been none the wiser.  An incredible lighting effect that could have been utilized would have made her appear to be standing in the middle of a rainfall made of lights.  Clearly, she and her team decided against that effect.  Also, there was a huge cube high above the audience that have been utilitzed in the past to project videos and still images.  This time? Nothing.

Beyonce performed as well, if not better, than she has in the past.  Her catchy tunes kept me singing for a solid two hours.  However, during a recession when fans are being asked to cough up well in excess of $100 for a ticket, (the $20 dollar seats were so far away from the stage they might as well have been in the parking lot), I think it was only fair that Beyonce and her production company pony up enough money to give fans a show they would never forget.

I'm glad that I have the 2007 show to reminisce about fondly. Fortunately, those who attended this Beyonce concert for the very first time tonight will never know what they missed.

Twitter:  @ R_Eason