HER sold-out first Aussie gig on this year's tour displayed plenty of Beyonce - from emotionally charged balladeer to fabric-dodging sexpot.
Beyonce is backed by an all-female band, Suga Mama, who shoehorn in the impressive amount of hits she's enjoyed between her solo career and the band that launched her, Destiny's Child.
Beyonce is one of the only true superstars this decade has thrown up - and while she still hasn't made a truly amazing album (but plenty of truly amazing singles), it's in the live arena she really shines.
Her arsenal of hits is strong enough to withstand opening with the stroke of genius that is Crazy in Love. From there her excitable fans (including Katie Holmes and daughter Suri in industrial-strength earphones) were shown remarkable diversity.
Beyonce went from hard-edged R&B (Diva, Check On It) to soft-centered ballads (the stunning Smash Into You and Irreplaceable) with bite-size covers of hits by fellow independent women Sarah McLachlan (Angel) and Alanis Morissette (a G-rated You Oughta Know).
''I believe I'm here to empower all the ladies out there,'' Beyonce told the mainly female audience who nearly combusted during womanthem Single Ladies, re-creating MTV's video of the year.
Like her heroes (and there was a Michael Jackson tribute) , Beyonce is an old-fashioned all-singing, all-dancing, all-round entertainer.
And like her creative contemporaries Pink and Lady Gaga, she continues to elevate the form of live pop concerts.
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