Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour was announced at auction where Blue Ivy stole the show
Beyoncé is taking “Renaissance” on the road.
Tickets to the singer’s forthcoming Renaissance tour were auctioned off Saturday at her mother and stepfather’s Wearable Art Gala marking the fifth anniversary of the couple’s Where Art Can Occur Theater Center in Los Angeles. The star-studded, Harlem Renaissance-themed event raised money for the WACO Theater Center’s artistic and youth mentorship programs.
“Celebrating her seventh studio album, Beyoncé has announced that she will be taking ‘Renaissance’ on tour and we are offering an exclusive 2 tickets to see her live from anywhere around the world, courtesy of United Airlines and their Polaris package,” read a description of the auction item shared on Instagram by musician Zach Campbell, who attended the gala.
‘Renaissance’ reveals a depth of knowledge regarding rhythm and harmony that puts her as an arranger and bandleader on a level with Prince and Stevie Wonder.
Valued at $20,000, the concert package also included first-class plane tickets, hotel accommodations and a backstage tour led by none other than Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson. Per footage from the event, gala attendees bid at least $50,000 for the item, which is rumored to have sold for $150,000.
According to the listing, Queen Bey will embark on her Renaissance tour next summer — her first series of concerts since she and husband Jay-Z co-headlined their On the Run II tour in 2018.
Among the celebrities who attended Saturday’s gala were “Abbott Elementary” creator Quinta Brunson, mega-producer Tyler Perry and singers Chloe and Halle Bailey, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Also present at the event were Beyoncé, Jay-Z and their daughter, Blue Ivy, who entertained the audience — and social media — by bidding $80,000 for a pair of Lorraine Schwartz diamond earrings worn that night by Knowles-Lawson and previously owned by Beyoncé, according to People magazine.
A leak threatened to disrupt her meticulously plotted rollout, but no matter: ‘Renaissance’ is as musically (and sexually) provocative as any album in 2022.
In a video taken by Brunson, the 10-year-old daughter of the “Break My Soul” artist can be seen waving her auction paddle in the air as the crowd cheers while her grandmother, Knowles-Lawson, and auctioneer Keke Palmer react in shock. Despite her best efforts, Blue Ivy ended up losing the jewelry to Mielle Organics executives Monique and Melvin Rodriguez, who outbid her by $25,000.
The moment was reminiscent of 2018’s Wearable Art Gala, which saw Blue Ivy and Perry engage in a friendly bidding war over an acrylic painting of the late Sidney Poitier. According to a report from Page Six, the “Madea” franchise creator eventually outbid the elementary schooler and snagged the portrait for $20,000.
Forget the leaks, Beyoncé’s new album ‘Renaissance’ has officially arrived. Catch up on all the album’s most important lyrics.
“Blue Ivy is 6 years old ... She tried to outbid me on a painting at an auction, and I wouldn’t let her do it,” Perry joked to “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon in 2018. “The adults are ruling this thing ... don’t try it.”
Following Saturday’s event, Perry jokingly instructed Knowles-Lawson to “tell Blue she better be glad I had to leave before the auction” via Instagram.
Blue Ivy’s latest auction appearance and the unofficial Renaissance tour announcement come months after Beyoncé released her critically acclaimed album of the same name. The popular record includes hit tracks such as “Cuff It,” “Alien Superstar” and lead single “Break My Soul.”
Ticket information and tour dates are not yet accessible on Beyoncé’s website.
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