Beyoncé announced Wednesday that she is launching her Renaissance world tour this summer.
As first reported here back in September (and confirmed a few weeks later), the pop and R&B superstar is hitting stadiums in support of her latest album, Renaissance.
The tour comes to Toronto’s Rogers Centre on July 8 and 9 and Vancouver’s BC Place on Sept. 11.
She hasn’t performed in Canada since the On The Run II Tour with husband Jay-Z came to Vancouver in October 2018 and she hasn’t done solo concerts north of the border since 2016’s Formation tour made stops in Edmonton and Toronto.
On Jan. 21, Queen Bey ruled over the launch of Atlantis The Royal, a luxury resort in Dubai. She performed for a little more than an hour for 1,500 invited guests – but didn’t debut any of the track off Renaissance.
It was her first live performance since doing “XO” and “Halo” at a memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant in February 2020. (Her performance on the Oscars last year was pre-taped.) She hadn’t done a solo concert since Coachella in April 2018.
Beyoncé is up for nine Grammys this weekend, including Album of the Year and both Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the lead single “Break My Soul.” She is positioned to become the most successful Grammy winner ever: If she wins at least four categories, she will beat record-holder Georg Solti, the late conductor who earned 31.
Renaissance, which was released last July, was hyped as the first of “a three-act project.”
In an Instagram post before the album came out, Beyoncé wrote: “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.
“I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are.”