I Am... (Beyoncé tour)

In 2006, during an interview with MTV News, Beyoncé introduced an aggressive alter ego, Sasha Fierce, which also served as her stage persona. She added that the persona is a complete opposite of her when not performing by characterizing her as "aggressive... strong... fearless." Beyoncé'ss third album I Am... Sasha Fierce introduced Sasha Fierce as her alter ego. she revealed that Sasha was born during the making of her single "Crazy in Love" (2003). The plans for a 2009 tour in support of the album were announced in October 2008 by Billboard magazine. The tour dates for the European leg were announced in December 2008. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Beyoncé confirmed that she would be backed by the all-female band which had also accompanied her for her previous The Beyoncé Experience tour (2007). Rehearsals for the tour lasted eight months during which the set list for the shows was also constructed. Beyoncé further revealed that the twelve-hour rehearsals for the tour included dancing the choreography in heels for two months before it commenced. During an interview, Beyoncé emphasized how she needed to prepare to channel her alter ego for the performances. According to Beyoncé, the shows were supposed to be a mixture of several of her musical preferences, including jazz, hip-hop, ballet and fashion. The tour kicked off in late-March 2009 with five rehearsal shows in North America. It officially commenced in late April 2009, at Arena Zagreb in Croatia later visiting six continents, namely the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The six-week North American leg of the I Am... tour kicked off on June 21 with a show at Madison Square Garden in New York and finished with a four-night residency at Encore in the Wynn Las Vegas from July 30, 2009 to August 2, 2009. The tour finished with a concert at Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, with 103 shows in total. Beyoncé and her organization, The Survivor Foundation, became the spokesperson for General Mills' Hamburger Helper campaign entitled, "Show Your Helping Hand". The campaign's mission was to provide more than 3.5 million meals to local food banks in North America. Beyoncé encouraged spectators to bring non-perishable foods to her North American concerts to be donated to the campaign. According to the campaign's official website, nearly three millions meals and over $50,000 have been donated. == Development ==

Beyoncé revealed that the hardest aspect of coming up with the tour's set list was managing to fit her decade-long song catalogue in a two-hour show. According to his creative vision, the shows were intended to represent mise-en-scène by incorporating technical aspects with fashion in order to capture the emotions behind the songs. He added, "There will be a lot of dramatization and metamorphosis on stage. Some very strong effects have been inspired directly by Beyoncé, and only she could make [them] happen on stage." Onstage, Beyoncé was backed by her ten-piece all-female band, Suga Mama, which included two drummers, two keyboardists, a percussionist, a horn section, three backup vocalists called the Mamas, and a lead guitarist. The show featured two stages, namely a simple main stage with a pop-up set of stairs, an LED background screen, and glass risers for Suga Mama and The Mamas as well as a smaller B-stage in the midst of the audience for the later portions of the show. During the concerts, Beyoncé went through six costume changes; during the breaks, The Mamas harmonized. The set list included songs from all of Beyoncé'ss three studio albums that had been published, a Destiny's Child medley and several covers of other artists. Several critics noted that the songs on the set list were divided into ballads and more up-tempo songs to coincide with the central theme of I Am... Sasha Fierce – the dual personality of Beyoncé. Beyoncé'ss costumes were changed in order to coincide with the songs' nature; during performances of ballads, she wore longer white dresses while for the uptempo songs, she had more revealing outfits and make-up. == Fashion ==

Thierry Mugler served as the main costume designer for the tour. Beyoncé was acquainted to and enraptured by his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, titled "Superheroes, Fashion and Fantasy" (2008) where she saw several of his haute couture pieces that were on display. She met with Mugler in Paris in September of the same year and started exchanging ideas for costume designs and the following month he was contracted as the designer for the tour. He felt, "Sasha Fierce is another aspect of Beyoncé'ss personality, she is Fierce on stage and Beyoncé in real life... Beyoncé is a very sophisticated 'stage animal', which means that she is truly instinctive. Beyoncé expresses herself through the two aspects of her personality." Metal pieces, fishnets, gloves, power shoulders and golden leotards were all incorporated in the costumes, the majority of which were form-fitting and exposed the singer's legs. Michael Quintanilla of San Antonio Express-News thought the fashion was akin to a "high-tech Blade Runner world". A writer of the Evening Chronicle wrote that the sparkling outfits managed to capture the singer's personality with looks ranging from "NYPD cop to bride to Wonderwoman and beyond" all the while emphasizing her physique. == Concert synopsis ==

The show started with Beyoncé'ss silhouette appearing on a smoky stage, walking towards the front while singing several lines of "Déjà Vu". For the performance of "Freakum Dress", Beyoncé was accompanied by a guitarist onstage, bending backwards during the song's bridge. Following a short break, Beyoncé proceeded singing songs from the I Am... portion of the album, dressed in a white leotard. "Smash Into You" was performed on top of a flight of stairs. Excerpts of Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" and Franz Schubert's Ave Maria" were performed at the end. A video interlude directed by Melina Matsoukas was shown set to "Sweet Dreams". Beyoncé appeared on stage after a gong bang; she was lifted out of a 20-foot train by a harness and performed "Baby Boy" while high-stepping and front-flipping above the audience. She was then lowered to the B-stage where she finished the song and continued with a cover Dawn Penn's "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)". A stripped-down version of "Irreplaceable" was sung afterwards with frequent crowd interactions. Beyoncé then continued with "Check On It" and a medley of Destiny's Child hits including "Bootylicious", "Jumpin' Jumpin'", "Independent Women", "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Survivor". Performances of "Upgrade U" and "Video Phone" followed. For the performance of the two songs, Beyoncé was accompanied by two female dancers and three male dancers, one of whom recorded a live stream of her with a camera throughout the routine during the performance of the latter song. This was followed by a rendition of "Say My Name" where she interacted with members of the audience, asking them to say her name. The concert followed back at the main stage where for the penultimate section, Beyoncé appeared wearing a gown and singing "At Last". A footage of her performance of the song at Barack Obama's inauguration as President of the United States, video images of civil rights era footage and snippets from her performance of the song in the movie, Cadillac Records (2008) were shown on the screen behind here. "Listen" was performed afterwards. This was followed by a YouTube video interlude featuring imitations of the choreography of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" performed by fans as well as Barack Obama and Justin Timberlake. Beyoncé then performed the song's trademark choreography accompanied by two female back-up dancers. For the finale, an extended version of "Halo" was performed while the singer descended from the stage to shake hands with fans in the front rows. She then went to the top of the staircase and repeatedly said "I am", awaiting the crowd to say it back. The letters "I am... yours" were displayed on the screen as she exited the stage. == Critical response ==

{{quote box|width=23em|align=right|quote=Beyonce's entrance at the O2 makes the finale of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' seem like an exercise in tasteful understatement. As dry ice gusts wildly about the stage and Wagnerian horns blare, a statuesque silhouette appears, hand on hips, head tilted imperiously. Then the swelling intro to 'Crazy In Love' kicks in, the smoke clears, and there stands Beyonce, superhumanly buff and glamorous. You are left in no doubt that tonight you are in the presence of pop royalty ... There's so much glittering spectacle that you could be at a lavish Broadway musical or a presidential inauguration ... Pop music doesn't get any smarter, sassier or more spectacular. The tour received rave reviews from critics. Mike Ross of the website Jam! rated Beyoncé'ss performance with 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising the "high-production", the singer's wide vocal range and her "riveting presence". Stephanie Classen of The Star Phoenix remarked, "Beyoncé doesn't really need the bells and whistles of a big stadium show, but it sure makes for an unforgettable concert." Alice Jones of The Independent emphasized how the singer managed to "sing her heart out" in various musical styles that characterize the show's songs while further praising the energetic choreography and the vocals that range from "caramel smooth to honeyed foghorn". Ben Ratliff of The New York Times observed that the show would make spectators question themselves how the singer managed to put on a "dazzling show" both physically and organizationally; he further praised the singer's "hollering voice, her imperious movement, her costume changes and the show's crush of concepts with their long tails of reference". Deborah Mcaleese and Lauren Mulvenny of The Belfast Telegraph described the show as "incredible... mind blowing... [and] electrifying". A writer of Evening Chronicle wrote that the show's set abounded with "bling, glamour and, most importantly, enthusiasm", further praising her for the well-coordinated balance between "hit[ting] every note" and following elaborate choreographies. Jay Hanna of The Sunday Times felt that the show's encore ("Halo") was the most memorable moment of the set. She also praised the singer's "enviable" dancing skills, "spectacular production and audio visuals" but noted that some songs "let down" the performance by being less melodic. Comparing her performance with Michael Jackson's live shows, Renee Michelle Harris of the South Florida Times writes, "[Beyoncé] owns the stage with her trademark swagger and intensity... showcasing her powerful vocals without missing a note, often while engaged in vigorous, perfectly executed dance moves". Holly Burnes of The Daily Telegraph noted that the performance was almost inimitable and added "Whether crumping, sweeping across the stage in towering heels, or simply standing still, Beyonce was dynamite, blasting the benchmark for concert performers forever". Simon Colling from The West Australian described the performance as "powerhouse" and added, "Beyoncé'ss high-energy, high-voltage mix of song (loud, commercial R&B) and dance recalled names like Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and rapper Missy Elliott... [and] Mariah Carey". Joanna Horowitz of The Seattle Times noted that despite the inclusion of almost 10 different musical styles in the show's set list, the singer's "own [musical] signature" and focus were lacking. Nevertheless, Horowitz praised the singer's performing skills and summarized the concert as "a hip-hop Cirque du Soleil — sequins galore, dramatic dance numbers, and Beyoncé at one point soaring". However, she noted that Beyoncé is "so steeped in professionalism that what should be magical can become mechanical." Ben Ratliff of The New York Times summarized the tour's concept as "the duality of well-meaning good girl and rapacious animal-robot-dance-titan." Jay Lustig of The Star-Ledger concluded that the album's split personality was reflected in the show naturally enough. However, Barbara Ellen of The Observer wrote, "Another irritant is the much-trumpeted 'duality' nonsense with Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé'ss alter-ego for her latest album. All 'Sasha' does here is flail about in a video, no different from regular Beyoncé, except for a gold dress and a hairdo that veers dangerously towards Liberace." Similarly, Ann Powers from the Los Angeles Times wrote that the only thing which was not fully realized was the show's "overarching" theme, "Beyonce meant to represent herself as a split personality, tender and open on the one hand, indomitable and rather scary on the other. But Beyonce has chosen the wrong dichotomy to represent herself." == Commercial performance ==

Tickets for the American leg of the tour were available for pre-sale for members of Beyoncé's fan club on April 20, 2008 and the official tickets went on sale to the general public through Ticketmaster on April 25. In late May 2009, Beyoncé's label announced through a press release that the singer decided to set aside 2,000 seats for each date on her then-forthcoming North American tour at a discounted price of $20. After already selling 1,000 tickets per show for the special low price, the last 1,000 discounted seats for each show were made available to the public on May 29, 2009 through Ticketmaster (with the exception of the artist's four-night residency at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas). Due to the big demand, Sony Music announced additional dates in England, Asia and South America. It was reported to Billboard that as of September 16, 2009, from the 53 shows, Beyoncé grossed $53.5 million and drawn 667,509 fans from the mostly 15,000-seat arenas. In 2009, the tour was nominated for Eventful Fans' Choice Award at the 6th Annual Billboard Touring Awards. The tour grossed $86 million from 93 concert shows and all 103 shows total grossed $119.5 million. == Controversy in Malaysia ==

In September 2009, it was announced by the Associated Press that Beyoncé would be bringing her tour to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with a show scheduled for 25 October. However, despite the singer’s largely "squeaky-clean", respectable reputation, some of Beyoncé's skimpier outfits and potentially suggestive dance moves would have to be slightly edited and changed to suit the conservative, predominantly Muslim, Southeast Asian country. This agreement came after Beyoncé received word of opposition, mainly from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, which stated: "We are against Western sexy performances; we don't think our people need that." However, in early October 2009, it was suddenly announced that the concert had been delayed again, in the wake of new concerns (by Islamic conservatives) that the show would simply be too "immoral and unclean". Malaysian promoter Marctensia said, in a statement, that the show had been "postponed to a future date", to be announced soon thereafter, adding that: "The postponement is solely [the] decision of the artist and has nothing to with other external reasons." The tour also faced oppositions by Islamic conservatives in Egypt, who branded it as an "insolent sex party" that threatens the Muslim nation's "social peace and stability", despite the singer being in love, and married, to Jay-Z, and overall a very private person. Two years prior to this performance, in 2007, Beyoncé's a show in Malaysia but backed out due to similar protests regarding her performance. == Recordings and broadcasts ==

While the singer was on tour, she was asked to perform a Las Vegas residency-type of show. Beyoncé and her team produced the shows in seven days and entitled it I Am... Yours. She performed an unplugged, acoustic styled show different from the rest of her tour, at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas. The show on August 2, 2009 was recorded and later released as a DVD, audio CD and television special in late November 2009 titled I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas. The DVD was commercially successful peaking at number one on the Nielsen SoundScan Music DVD chart. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Another live CD/DVD of the tour was released as I Am... World Tour in late November 2010. The album contained performances from different stops of the tour blended with personal footage of Beyoncé's backstage work and thoughts about the tour and her life. It served as the directorial debut for Beyoncé. The DVD was commercially successful becoming the best selling DVD in the world in 2010. Parts of the show in Vancouver on March 31, 2009 were recorded and have been used for commercial use, as well as photos from the show used in the official tour book and other promotional items. A CD and DVD, released on June 15, 2010, featured her performance of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". "Crazy In Love", "Freakum Dress", "Get Me Bodied", "Smash Into You" and "Broken-Hearted Girl" from the show in Donetsk, Ukraine, were recorded professionally and shown on TRK Ukraina as part of their footage of the Donbas Arena opening. "Crazy In Love" and "Single Ladies" were professionally recorded at the Summer Sonic Festival in Osaka, Japan and used to promote Beyoncé's Japanese tour. "Crazy In Love" and "Naughty Girl" were also professionally recorded at the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix F1 Rocks event in Singapore for Channel HD 5 Live coverage. "Crazy In Love" was recorded professionally and shown on Frecuencia Latina from the show in Lima, Peru at the Explanada del Estadio Monumental. == Opening acts ==

• RichGirl (North America) • Flo Rida (Australia) • Eva Avila (Canada) • Linda Teodosiu (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) • Ildiko Keresztes and Karmatronic (Hungary) • Marek Ztracený (Czech Republic) • Humphrey (France) • DJ Lester & Abdou (Belgium) • Miguel Simões and Verinha Mágica (Portugal) • Labuat (Barcelona) • Shontelle (England and Ireland) • Jessica Mauboy (Australia) • Zarif (England and Ireland) • Ádammo (Peru) • Ivete Sangalo (Brazil) • Wanessa (Brazil) == Set list ==

The following set list is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour. • "Crazy in Love" (contains elements of "Déjà Vu" and "I Just Wanna Love U") • "Naughty Girl" • "Freakum Dress" • "Get Me Bodied" • "Smash Into You" • "Ave Maria" (contains elements of "Ellens dritter Gesang") / "Angel" • "Broken-Hearted Girl" • "If I Were a Boy" (contains excerpts of "You Oughta Know" and "California Love") • "Diva" • "Radio" • "Me, Myself and I" • "Ego" • "Hello" • "Baby Boy" / "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" • "Irreplaceable" • "Check on It" • Destiny's Child Medley: "Bootylicious" / "Bug a Boo" / "Jumpin', Jumpin'" (contains elements of "Independent Women Part I", "Survivor" and "Bills, Bills, Bills") • "Upgrade U" • "Video Phone" • "Say My Name" • "At Last" • "Listen" • "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" • "Halo" Notes • As the grand opening of Donetsk's new sporting arena, the Donbas Arena drew near, it was announced by local organizers that Beyoncé will perform as part of her tour. The ceremony involved a dance production dedicated to Ukraine's miners. Local artists Natal'ya Mogilevskaya, Svetlana Loboda and Aliona Vinnitskaya performed Queen's "We Will Rock You". Afterwards, a speech by Victor Yushchenko, president of Ukraine was given. Beyoncé performed audience of nearly 45,000. • On June 9, 2009, Beyoncé was joined by George Michael on stage for the performance of "If I Were a Boy". • On June 22, 2009, Jay-Z appeared on stage with Beyoncé in the middle of "Crazy in Love" and rapped a verse from his song "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)". • On July 16, 2009, Solange Knowles appeared as a special guest during the show which was aimed to benefit the Charles & Phyllis Newman Foundation and Beyoncé's charitable organization, The Survivor Foundation. • On November 16, 2009, Beyoncé was joined on stage by Kanye West who performed "Ego", and Jay-Z who rapped his verse on "Crazy in Love". == Shows ==

Personnel adapted as per the I Am... concert booklet and live performance DVD. Lead Vocals • Beyoncé Knowles – main artist, lead singer, lead vocals Creative Direction • Beyoncé and Frank Gatson – show direction, staging, choreography • Thierry Mugler – creative advisor, costume designer • Kim Burse – creative director • Tina Knowles – creative consultant, stylist • Ty Hunter – stylist Suga Mama Band • Bibi McGill – music director, guitar • Divinity Walker Roxx – music director, bass • Rie Tsuji – assistant music director, keyboards • Brittani Washington – keyboards • Marcie Chapa – percussion • Nikki Glaspie – drums • Kim Thompson – drums • Crystal Torres – trumpet • Tia Fuller – alto saxophone • Katty Rodriguez-Harrold – tenor saxophone The Mamas (Background Vocalists): • Montina Cooper – background singer • Crystal A. Collins – background singer • Tiffany Moníque Riddick – background singer Choreographers • Beyoncé • Frank Gatson Jr. • JaQuel Knight Assistant Choreographers • Dana Foglia – dance swing • Christopher (Kriyss) Grant • Rosero McCoy • Kobi Rozenfeld • Tony Michales • Derrel Bullock • Bryan Tanaka • Sheryl Murakami • Rhapshody James • Cliff McGhee • Benny Andrews • Jonte' Moaning • Ramon Baynes Dancers • Ashley Everett – female dance captain • Tuere Tanee McCall (Left After North American Leg) • Ashley Seldon • Saidah Fishenden • Kimberly Gipson • Bryan Tanaka – male dance captain • Cassidy Noblett • Khasan Brailsford • Shaun Walker Security • Julius DeBoer – head security for Beyoncé • Colin McNish – security for Beyoncé • Terrill Eastman – head of venue security • Bob Fontenot – venue security Tour Management • Alan Floyd – tour manager • Marlon Bowers – assistant tour manager • Larry Beyince – tour assistant • Daniel Kernan – tour accountant • Josh Katzman – tour accountant Tour Sponsors • MTV Europe – Europe/United Kingdom/Ireland • Trident – United Kingdom & Ireland • Nintendo – United Kingdom & Europe • L'Oréal Paris – North America • General Mills – North America • Crystal Geyser – Japan • Nestlé – South America • bMobile – Trinidad Tour Promoters • AEG Live – United Kingdom • Live Nation & Haymon Concerts – North America & Europe • Michael Coppel Presents – Australia • Music World Entertainment – Worldwide • Aiken Promotions – Ireland == Notes ==