“So I studied...my past, and I put every mistake, all of my triumphs, my 22-year career into my 2-hour Homecoming performance.”
Within this study of Beyonce’s past, one must taken into consideration the sheer magnitude that comes with being the first black person to headline one of the most prestigious festivals in the world, Coachella. As a musician who’s remained professional throughout her career dating back to 1997, the onus on the 36-year-old from Houston seemed so great many would begin to crack at the seams. Whilst the initial opportunity to headline the festival in 2017 went amiss due to the (relatably) unexpected occurrence of giving birth to twins, Beyonce ultimately entrenched her position in the history books with one of the most emphatic homecomings Coachella and the world had ever seen.
Up until this point, one may forget how expansive and versatile Beyonce’s career has been, from the inception of Destiny’s Child to her latest 2016 LP, Lemonade - invariably encompassing tropes of soul, funk, reggaeton, pop, R&B, rock, and hip-hop. Bolstered by the omnipresent backing band of brass, woodwind, and percussion sections, each stomp and chant palpably launched themselves through the TV set and into my suburbanised living room. Sporadically spilling out into the catwalks led by Beyonce’s stringent leadership, the band remained captivating with their strength in numbers (beyond 200) - namely through the various interchanges of ‘Bug a Boo Roll Call’ and ‘The Bzzz Drumline’. Unlike her natural contemporary of Kanye West and his recent performance at Coachella, Beyonce’s marching band’s mesmerising flares of ‘Formation’ and ‘Single Ladies’ ultimately fared better than Kanye’s haphazard gospel choir.
Amidst her odysseian homecoming, the documentary intersplices various audio-taped quotes from Beyonce, namely ‘So Much Damn Swag’, professing such larger-than-life phrases to the effect of never giving up in the celebration of black culture. With a performance group of over 200 people, the documentary gifts glimpses into the mammoth task laid out before the production ‘village’ in the months of rehearsals leading up to all-important homecoming. Whilst the 80's/90's grainy, 4:3 aspect ratio snippets sits a little too nostalgic within documentary genre, the insights into Beyonce’s directorship, precisely after the birth of her twins, merely justifies her elite positioning in today’s music scene.
The sporadic quotes from past pertinent black female leaders, from Nina Simone to Maya Angelou, incessantly pulls you back into the sheer gravitas of Beyonce’s homecoming. As such with the more recent political advocate Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Beyonce has fully embraced her within such showcased tracks as ‘Flawless’, ultimately extending the ever-growing reach of Beyonce’s dynasty in the current state of affairs. In her eyes, she currently sits right alongside the aforementioned greats of their community, reminding the Coachella audience of the significance to what they’re witnessing.
In the study of Beyonce’s past, she has rightfully vindicated herself within today’s modern climate. The recent dual release of the LP and Netflix documentary imprints her name into the history books of Coachella’s 20-year tenure, and ultimately signifies the bright daylight between her and her contemporaries of Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott. The standout hits of ‘Crazy in Love’ and ‘Single Ladies’ remain as illustrious and relevant as ever, with Beyonce’s vocal range reigning supreme over the heaps of crumpled, die-hard #Beychella fans amongst the packed-out Californian crowd. Having missed the chance to attend an HBCU like her father due to commitments with Destiny’s Child in the late 90’s, her headline set of Coachella in 2018 proved to be the homecoming she never had - and what a way to mark your return.
9/10
Beyonce's Netflix documentary and LP, Homecoming, are both out now and can be found here.
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