Beyoncé’s Dubai Concert Leaves Fans Divided – Parade Magazine
Beyoncé just gave her first live performance in almost five years, stunning the audience with her vocals and elaborate show.
She earned praise from fans online, with one person proclaiming on Twitter, “Beyoncé is definitely the standard of performance. She is the best, and it’s really no debating that.”
But the concert has also divided fans, as the singer draws criticism for performing at the opening of a new luxury hotel in Dubai, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, as the country has very strict laws against same-sex relationships.
Mason Poole/Parkwood Media/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal
Fans of Beyoncé voiced their confusion and disappointment over the singer’s decision to perform in Dubai, with one person kickstarting a conversation by tweeting: “No beef but I’m struggling to understand why Beyoncé, who has half a billion dollars, would accept 20 million dollars to make her debut performance of the Renaissance album, a record which lifts heavily from queer culture, in Dubai, a country where LGBT rights aren’t recognised.”
They further wrote, “I get it, everyone wants their coin, but when you’re THAT rich, is it THAT worth it?”
While some people agreed with their point about money, others praised Beyoncé for knowing her worth.
A fan tweeted, “If you’re ever hesitant about charging your worth or raising your price, I find it helpful to remember that Beyoncé’s hourly rate is $24 million dollars. Yesterday’s price is not today’s price.”
Someone else echoed this sentiment, writing, “Listen Beyoncé has bills to pay to and you best believe there are a lot of out open and happy ass gays in Dubai. Its called the almaighty dollar.”
One thing that others also quickly pointed out was that Beyoncé didn’t actually perform any songs from her Renaissance album, which, as Laura Snapes of The Guardian says, is “purported to be a love letter to Black and queer dance music pioneers and communities.”
But some, like LGBTQ+ activist Peter Tatchell, questioned the possibility that this choice was made to “appease [the] anti-LGBT+ regime that has death penalty for gay sex.”
Many more people voiced their criticism on Twitter, with one fan writing, “Beyhive forever but..Beyoncé performing a whole new show for sheiks & billionaires, whilst her fans can’t even get a crumb of Renaissance visuals. AND In Dubai of all places, which actively excludes the community that inspired her latest album. Idk idk.”
The concert was a private, invitation-only event at the Atlantis The Royal hotel.
Another said, “Me leaving the Beyoncé fan club after seeing her sell out to perform in Dubai , a country where being trans or gay is illegal and punishable by death.”
Twitter user @_Larissa_E talked about how women’s rights are also very limited in the United Arab Emirates, which hasn’t been mentioned a lot in the conversation so far: “Beyonce is doing a show in Dubai for 24 Million $ which is absolutely ridiculous to me cause with „Renaissance“ she spread a message pro gays and dragqueens and diversity, but then plays her first big show after years(!!) in a country that won’t let a woman live freely…”
On the other hand, many fans questioned why there wasn’t this sort of backlash for other singers who performed in Dubai, like Lady Gaga, Elton John, and most recently, Kylie Minogue on New Year’s Eve.
Kitty Scott-Claus from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 3, compared the situation to David Beckham‘s partnership with the Qatar government for the World Cup.
A different perspective on the situation proposed by a fan was that “Artists performing in countries where liberal values aren’t the norm can be a way for values to ‘softly’ enter public awareness and become normalised over time. Dubai isn’t a country, it seems to be the most liberal of the emirates.”
The debate continues, and as of writing, neither Beyoncé nor a member of her team have not responded to the criticism or said anything regarding the singer’s decision to put on the show in Dubai.