Should Anyone Actually Cheer Beyoncé’s Dubai Concert?

Everyone loves Beyoncé and deservingly so: she’s a living legend, the definition of an icon, and one of the biggest pop talents on the planet. But perhaps not everyone should love her decision to perform live in Dubai, given the region’s concerning stance on women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.

On January 21, Beyoncé was booked to perform at the opening of Atlantis The Royal, a new luxury hotel in Dubai. The 41-year-old singer was reportedly paid approximately $2.5 million for the gig, which was a proper extravaganza.

#Beyonce at the #AtlantisTheRoyal pic.twitter.com/LNK3DNQKEI

— Curtis Pritchett (@cdpritchett) January 22, 2023

Beyoncé sampling the singer Warda El-Djazairia on Beautiful Liar pic.twitter.com/5SyYvbExoE

— . (@BeyLionThe) January 22, 2023

Attendees were supposed to be banned from using their phones to capture footage of the concert but this is a Beyoncé show.

Everyone’s gotta see it and the Beyhive was buzzing. Scratch that: the Beyhive was absolutely gushing.

Last time Beyoncé did the Beautiful Liar dance break was back in 2007😭 pic.twitter.com/H1so2NDNEr

— BEY-Z🐝⬢⬡ · fan account (@beyzhive) January 21, 2023

More Beyoncé – Crazy in Love! You’re welcome 😉 pic.twitter.com/j7usohuMJo

— baddie (@woke_stan) January 21, 2023

And it was quite a performance indeed, with fireworks, backup dancers, and a surprise appearance from Blue Ivy, Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s daughter.

A Beyoncé tá fazendo a blue ivy se tornar a maior da geração e dá pra ver nesse vídeo pic.twitter.com/ZJbupU3RAr

— lm ♥︎ (@drivestallion) January 22, 2023

And, let’s be clear, this isn’t about the performance.

Wearing a custom outfit designed by Ukrainian brand Frolov, Beyoncé both looked and sounded positively “urethral,” as one stan page put it.

Beyoncé looks so urethral here pic.twitter.com/z4M8ykNHDZ

— RENAISSANCE Updates 🪩 (@B7Album) January 22, 2023

There was even an Ivy Park runway show, according to one guest.

Beyoncé booked all my models to walk for IVY park show in dubai and That’s on period DOT #rhodubai pic.twitter.com/lIXmIgLvEw

— Chanelayan (@chanelayan) January 22, 2023

So, this isn’t about Beyoncé, the performer, this is about Beyoncé, the businesswoman.

As some commentators pointed out on Twitter, Beyoncé’s decision to perform in a region with an extremely poor record on women’s rights and a reputation for “hostility” against members of the LGBTQ+ community is highly questionable.

It’s made even stranger by Beyoncé’s decision to work with a Ukrainian designer, picking one worthy cause to support and seemingly ignoring another.

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.

— douglas greenwood (@douglasgrnwd) January 22, 2023

It calls to mind both the recent FIFA controversy — the World Cup was hosted by Qatar, which has its own human rights abuse cases — and Rihanna’s latest Savage x Fenty runway show where, for no reason, troubled actor Johnny Depp made a cameo appearance.

come celebrate my queer dance tribute album in a country where being queer is punishable by death https://t.co/ZciTlytfVI

— Jill_Krajewski on IG (@JillKrajewski) January 20, 2023

Getting more upset about Amanda from The Traitors going on GB News than actual Beyoncé performing in Dubai and giving zero fucks is very Twitter isn’t it

— Rob Gillett (@robgillett) January 22, 2023

Beyoncé’s not alone here, of course — Lady Gaga performed in Dubai nearly a decade ago (the concert was “censored” by local authorities) and only a few weeks ago, Kylie Minogue was in Dubai to ring in 2023, dividing her fanbase.