The Queen Bey. #bowdown

In the US I don't do anything super cool or adventurous, but in foreign countries I'm more exciting. Before my Paris trip I got tickets to BEYONCE - Queen Bey herself - in the Stad de France.

I am a huge fan of her music, so there wasn't a question of if I'd enjoy the show.  What concerned me most after buying the tickets was safety (especially after the Nice attack).  After lots of conversations with my European team (and a quick email to our Global Security team) we decided the risks were quite low.

And you have to live your life.  You can't live in fear, right?    

(For the record, risks were low because security was so high.  We went through multiple security checkpoints from the moment we stepped out of the taxi.  Police and military personnel stood guard every few feet.  Hyper-vigilance, which I greatly appreciated.)  

standing guard

First tasks - a a little snack and toast once we got into the stadium but before headed to the floor.  (We came prepared with snacks in our bags - perfectly legal here as long as bottles didn't have tops?)

to Beyonce!

smoked salmon on rice cakes - FANCY

We arrived on the floor to claim our spots during the opening act, a French R&B group that had the crowd hopping.  As people moved around, we strategically moved ourselves up closer.  

It does not get dark in Paris right now until 10:30ish, so I feared Beyonce would delay her start.  (I may have been at an exciting concert, but I still like my early-ish bedtime!)  Fortunately she got underway on time around 9PM.

  

And did not stop until 11PM!   I have a whole new respect for her as a performer. Incredible.

She played nearly all my favorites, minus All the Single Ladies.  And she truly sang (no lip syncing). She wore about 7 different outfits, had an all female band, back up singers, and dancers, and showed really sweet personal videos of her life and family throughout the performance.  My hashtag for the show would be #girlpower     I left singing "who rules the world?  GIRLS DO!"

The show ended with Halo and confetti floating high about the stadium.  AH-MAZING.

What was not amazing - trying to get back to the hotel.  We worked our way out of the stadium and away from the crowd very quickly (a reco from global security), but Ubers and Taxis were scarce. (None of us were brave enough for the train.)  We made good use of our time by eating snacks we saved in our purses and singing Beyonce songs.  

The Uber driver also got a little show from the ladies, who streamed Beyonce in his car and sang all the way back to the hotel.  He may or may not have been filming it...  If it's on YouTube, I'll use it to embarrass JB and Maryn in 15 years.  

OR to remind them that their Mama can be a cool cat (sometimes).  Not as cool at Queen Bey though. Definitely an experience of a lifetime!