Finding Awe – my evening with Beyoncè…#070

‘Collective effervescence’ with a cultural phenomenon

Cowboy hats, denim and chaps.

It’s either Saturday night in Soho or Beyoncè is in town.

Last Monday, it was Queen B and her mesmerising Cowboy Carter tour. And what an evening it was.

Country

Growing up in the 70s, thanks to my mum and dad, I developed a hankering for Country music. My favourites included Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and John Denver. I mean, who doesn’t love a bit of Jolene, Burning Ring and Jet Plane? And don’t get me started on Dr Hook; not strictly country but Sylvia’s Mother is etched in my and my family’s memory.

But back to last Monday night.

OK, Beyoncè also isn’t strictly Country but her unique combination of country, pop and R&B makes for an intoxicating cocktail.

What did I see?

What exactly did I see? Let me try and explain.

Staged at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium, just three miles north of my home, I jumped a Lime bike (my inaugural ride, my Stetson doubling as a crash helmet 😉) to beat the overcrowded buses and tubes.

The gathering crowd hummed with excitement and expectation as we filed past airport- grade security into the stadium. My lovely friend Patrick and I found our seats high in the stadium where we happily sipped our beers and basked in the evening sun as we took in the sights and waited for Bey to begin.

Cowboy Carter

The show blasted into life with American Requiem…how very apt in these charged and crazy times…as Beyoncè took to the stage; a place she owned for the next three hours.

Surrounded by a troupe of athletically exquisite dancers, Beyoncè sashayed around the arrow shaped stage, its runway deep into the crowd, oozing sex, power and confidence. A woman at the top of her game.

Her dazzling outfits included feathers, chaps, leather, denim and leotards. Hair blowing in a steady ‘breeze’ as she played homage to the, mostly, buried history of black cowboys and the genre creating black musicians and singers that came before her.

When she wasn’t sashaying, dancing or sitting on a throne with a mechanical arm serving her drinks, she was gliding across the crowd on a huge horseshoe. And later, a flying red corvette.

Pulsating

My chest pulsated to the bass. The clarity of Beyonce’s voice at times distorted by the voices of the crowd. The stadium built to amplify cheering roars and stirring football chants, rather than the vocal harmonies of Queen B and her band.

The quality of the graphics detailing the performance and the story telling of black music history was pixeltastic – you can tell I don’t have the vocabularly to describe it!

I still can’t believe I missed most of the mash up of her classics Crazy In Love and Single Ladies as I queued for the loo - mercifully well organised and plentiful!

Wandering thoughts

Three hours is a long time. To perform and watch a show.

At times my mind wandered.

What was Beyoncè’s warm up and warm down routines? her nutrition? her fitness regime? What were the logistics, coordination and execution of her costume changes, hair, make up and hydration between sets?

And naturally, the financial planner and business woman in me cogitated on the cost of such a show, its profitability, the size of the crew, the technical expertise of her technology, build and safety teams. And the genius of her choreographers, dancers and musicians. Well, you do when you’ve managed a team of people and a business whatever its size and field…don’t you?

Awe

It also made me question what I was seeing. What I was experiencing.

It was so much more than a singer singing.

Well beyond a music gig.

It is a colossal show.

The technology has changed beyond recognition since I saw the then ground breaking Queen ‘Hot Space’ tour at the Milton Keynes Bowl in June 1982 ¹ Freddie Mercury outrageously owning the stage and commanding the crowd, as only Freddie could…

But, what hasn’t changed is our innate human desire to gather, sing and celebrate. An experience that Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology and researcher into Happiness, describes as ‘Collective Effervescence’. One of the Eight Wonders of Life he describes in his book, Awe ² A feeling we human’s search for.

You

As ever, I am interested in you.

When have you experienced ‘Collective Effervescence’? Where were you? What were you seeing? Who were you with? What did you feel?

Do drop me a line, I’d love to hear from you.

And remember, you are never going to be any younger than you are today. What awe inspiring events could you be planning or doing today, rather than waiting for a distant tomorrow?

Until next week my friends,

Cheerio for now,

Ruth

If you enjoy my 1000Weeks words, please do leave me a comment, a ❤️, share or subscribe. Or perhaps all four. It really is a treat for me to have you along, thank you.

1. Supported by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Teardrop Explodes no less! What a day.

2. Thanks to my lovely friend Helena for giving the book to me.