Beyonce Knowles Orlando, Florida: Best Concert of 2007

I have been to several concerts in my lifetime, and for the most part, they have all been fantastic. That is, if you don't count the Jay Z / R Kelly debacle at Madison Square Garden back in October 2004. I would have to say that the best concert that I went to in 2007 was The Beyonce concert in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, July 24, 2007. My husband and I went to this concert to celebrate our second anniversary,and boy did we get a performance. (And no, I'm not talking about the fall that she took down the stairs.) While that was absolutely the most terrifying thing that I have ever seen, that wasn't what made the concert fantastic for us.

Let me start at the beginning. The first time I ever really remember hearing anything about Beyonce was like everyone else, with her group Destiny's Child and that hideous (yes I said hideous) song 'No, No, No'. I hated this song. I also hated the remix. I thought, "Oh gosh these girls are really pretty... but that's all they are". About a year or two later, I was listening to a remix of 'Say My Name' by Timbaland and I 'then' fell in love with this group. I loved it. And then they did the remake of 'Emotions' and I thought "Uh oh, Beyonce can really sing". But I have to say, the performance that moved me the most and made me (literally) stand up and take notice was Beyonce's performance of 'Dangerously in Love' on one of the award shows, prior to the release of Dangerously In Love. I remember her coming out in this fantastic flowing gown-probably a dress designed by her mother Tina Knowles. I remember her singing her heart out (not lip synching) and by the end of the song she was on the floor (ala Patti Labelle) making you feel every pain staking melody and heart wrenching word in the song. I remember standing up in my bedroom and applauding like I was at a concert and I remember saying "O.K., that's it - She is the bar that all R&B performers need to reach to be considered a formidable opponent".

Now we can fast forward past her mega album 'Dangerously In Love', and fast forward past her not so great acting performances in movies that don't need to be named, including that infamous Broadway play. I want to talk about 'B Day' that was released on her birthday in 2006. There were so many skeptics that didn't believe she could release a song without the help of her father and Sony behind her. No one believed (ok yes, including me) that she would do well with her sophomore album and then she released like every single (ok 8 out of 10), with videos included. Then, she decided that she wanted an all girl band, and she auditioned and trained them and was on the road touring in less then 30 days.

My anniversary gift to my husband was tickets to see lovely Ms. Beyonce. We couldn't wait to hear that powerful voice up close and personal. The opening acts were a young lady from London, that Matthew Knowles (her father and manager) had just recently signed to his record label and Robin Thicke. Beyonce took the stage like the veteran she is and she sang her heart out for two straight hours without missing a beat. Female Empowerment received the largest boost in the world that night, all those fantastic women not just the band members, but her dancers, and her back up singers who were actually wearing two hats that night. I don't know if any of you saw the BET Awards a few years ago, but comedian Monique (who is infamous for stating how she hates women that are what she considers to be skinny and are always prominent in the videos today), performed her own version of Crazy in Love as an opening act to the BET Awards, but with all women that were plus sized. If you have ever seen Beyonce move in any of her videos let me tell you a work out is not the word for what she does, and Ms. Monique not only matched Beyonce step for step she had about 6-8 plus sized women that were working it just as hard as any skinny women in any video that has ever been done. I say all that to say that Beyonce was so impressed by this version that she too hired some plus sized women that not only could sing but could dance and keep up with her. And keep up with her they did as they performed the dance moves with her when she sang 'Crazy in Love'. Beyonce also made sure to have enough wardrobe changes so that all of her musicians could have a solo spot and impress upon each and every audience member that they aren't just great musicians, they are great musicians at the top of their game.

Now to the infamous fall. It seemed as if the filmed clip was played all around the world before we had even had a chance to get back home from the concert. It was played on the news, on the late night shows, and of course it was all over You Tube. But if you weren't in that arena that night, you will never, ever understand the resilience, the strength, and the professionalism that is Beyonce.

Let me set the scene for you so you can truly understand what happened. Beyonce came out in a mechanical warrior type suit, she was at the back of the stage at the top of a staircase with about 20 steps. The music for 'Ring the Alarm' came on and she was performing some mechanical movements and the suit opened to show her in a long red cape coat that was wide at the bottom and swirling around her feet. She was screaming out the lyrics and walking down the steps. Then out of nowhere, she slipped down at least 5 of the steps, face first, got up, walked over, picked up the microphone that fell out of her hands and started dancing and singing as if nothing had happened. She moved so fluidly that had you blinked you would have never seen anything happened. The crowd on the other hand was shouting, jumping and screaming along with the song and when she fell, the entire crowd collectively took a large intake of breath. The energy was literally stolen out of every patron's body. She continued the song though. Her dancers, her band members, NO ONE, came over to check on her or even acknowledged anything happened. She finished the song, went backstage for a wardrobe change, another musician came out to do their solo and when she returned to sing her next song, she did three songs before she even mentioned the fall. When she did mention the fall it was with beauty and grace and she talked about you have to persevere even when you "fall". You have to get up and keep moving even when you fall because that's how you learn. She talked about not letting anything keep you down and how she wants everyone to know that nothing will stop her from getting up when she falls and neither should you.

I took so much away from that performance; it made me a stronger woman, it made me realize I too have to persevere if I want to be the best that I can be no matter what. Above all it made me truly see the magnificent, phenomenal and professional woman that is Beyonce Knowles.