Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live
Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live (also called Back to Business) was the third concert residency by American recording artist Beyoncé. Announced in March, and held during four consecutive nights in May 2012 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the concerts were part of the opening of the new entertainment resort, hotel, casino and spa, Revel. Beyoncé stated that her alter ego Sasha Fierce was brought back to life for the performances and the main concept was that the birth of her first baby made her more grounded. She promoted the shows by projecting images and releasing behind-the-scenes footage on her official website.
Location
The stage included several LED screens and the singer was backed by female background vocalists, all-female band and dancers. The set list contained songs from Beyoncé's four studio albums as well as several covers and "Jumpin', Jumpin'", which she recorded with her former girl group Destiny's Child. She collaborated on outfits with several fashion designers including Ralph and Russo, Swarovski, Dolce & Gabbana, David Koma and her mother, designer Tina Knowles. Critics praised the costumes and Beyoncé's look during the shows.
Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live received positive reviews from music critics who praised Beyoncé's vocals and dance abilities during the concerts calling it her post-pregnancy comeback show. Commercially, the shows were also successful with the tickets for all three shows being sold out in one minute on April 6, 2012, after they were made available for purchase. Later, when the fourth show was announced, it eventually sold out as well. Footage of the concert was used in Beyoncé's 2013 HBO documentary Life Is But a Dream; a concert recording, Live in Atlantic City, was included as part of the home video release of Life is But a Dream.
Fashion and wardrobe[edit]
The shows featured couture costumes designed by fashion house Ralph and Russo. Designer Tamara Ralph said Beyoncé asked them to be "really creative" while creating items with "an ultra-glamorous feel to them".[24] The duo's inspiration was "modern showgirl", paying attention to the "comfort and flexibility of each outfit and the ease of getting in and out of the pieces with quick costume changes".[24] All the crystals for the show were provided by Swarovski; a team of 20 couturiers worked to complete the looks, which were embellished with more than 500,000 crystals from Swarovski Elements in four weeks. Beyoncé wore shoes by Stuart Weitzman. The dancers were dressed in Dolce & Gabbana and David Koma clothes. The band wore Alexander Vauthier clothes while The Mamas wore pin-up girl clothing.[25] Some clothes for the show were also designed by Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles.[26] Beyoncé also worked with David Koma who designed a panelled bodysuit with lace detailing. Koma described his collaboration during an interview with Vogue, saying, "I absolutely love to work with Beyoncé and her team and I'm very happy that she is back... She looks more beautiful than ever and it's always a pleasure to work with her!".[27] Co-designer Michael Russo further described his collaboration with Beyoncé, "Beyoncé always delivers energetic performances... It was an absolute pleasure to work with her to create exquisite pieces that dazzle on stage."[24]
Beyoncé changed costumes five times during the show.[13] Her looks ranged from a sparkling fringed set to a red leotard.[26] Her fashion during the shows received praise from critics. Celia L. Smith of Essence magazine described Beyoncé's look as "fabulous" while further calling her costumes "dazzling" and "fierce".[26] A writer of Vogue magazine noted that Beyoncé's show "required something a little more spectacular than her recent dressed-down chic".[27] Dawn Fallik of The Wall Street Journal commented that Beyoncé was "shedding costumes like a chameleon changing colors" during the show.[17] He went on saying, "There were fashion montages with Beyonce in 1950s cat glasses, 1960s headbands and 1970s mod form" further concluding that the fashion was "all well and good".[17] Chuck Darrow of the Philadelphia Media Network wrote in his review that the "shape-hugging, leg-baring costumes in which she was garbed were, by today's standards, [were] almost demure."[22] Dan DeLuca of Philadelphia Inquirer noted that her "barely-there" outfits were designed to call attention to Beyoncé's physique "from the derriere down".[28]
Commercial performance[edit]
Tickets for the concerts were made available on April 6, 2012, 10 a.m. EST through Ticketmaster after an exclusive pre-sale one day earlier on Beyonce.com, Beyoncé's official website.[40][41][42] Within one minute, all three shows were sold out. On May 7, 2012, an additional concert was scheduled for May 28, 2012 because of high demand. Tickets were sold in a similar fashion, with an exclusive pre-sale on Beyonce.com and a Ticketmaster general sale taking place on May 11, 2012, 10 a.m. EST and May 14, 10 a.m. EST respectively.[43][44] The fourth date would eventually sell-out as well.[14] Listed for sale at $95 – $495, ticket prices took a hike up to $1,700 through ticket resale companies like StubHub.[45] According to Jim Farber of Daily News, the tickets were sold for high prices because the Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live was the only show by Beyoncé announced that year.[45]