Beyoncé launches world tour, with call-outs to Prince, Jay-Z

It has been Beyoncé week in America – the 20-time Grammy winner released her sixth solo album Lemonade, faced rumours it was about husband Jay-Z cheating on her, had a HBO special screened around the album and kicked off her Formation world tour in Miami.

At the same time, Billboard is predicting a US chart milestone by the 34-year-old that no other act has achieved.

The first of the 41 shows announced so far was at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. The tour cuts across the U.S. and Europe, with its finale Beyhive on the first leg playing August 3 in Barcelona, Spain.

Miami producer and DJ Khaled opened the show with an array of guests including Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Future and Trick Daddy.

Queen Bey’s 37-strong set started off with Formation, followed by Sorry (“I’ll help you through this one”). There were more new “hate, anger and jealousy” Lemonade songs as Hold Up and Don’t Hurt Yourself as well as All Night and Daddy Lessons. She pulled out Baby Boy, Naughty Girl, Run The World and Bow Down. Drunk In Love was a mash-up with Kendrick Lamar’s Swimming Pools while the rendition of Crazy In Love was the 2014 remix with drops of Destiny’s Child’s Bootylicious.

Beyoncé yelled out to fans: “If you came here to have a good time, say ’I slay.’ If you’re proud of where you’re from say ’I slay.’”

She later revealed, “We were driving to rehearsal today and she (daughter Blue Ivy) said ’Mummy, are we going to your work?’ And it reminded me that I dreamed of this day my whole life.”

She urged fans to take note of the opening lines “Found the truth beneath the lies/And true love never has to hide” from All Night, which she said was her favourite on the new album.

Bey also dedicated the night to Prince, saying, “Thank you for your beautiful music.” During a costume change, the band played Purple Rain as the crowd sang-along.

Jay-Z was at the show, the two of them spotted earlier at a Miami golf course looking lovey-dovey. But, despite expectations he would join her onstage, stayed in the audience allowing her the sole spotlight.

As she ended the show with Halo, she challenged the infidelity rumours (just who is “Becky with the good hair”?) with a shout out to her family. “I want to dedicate this song to my beautiful husband. I love you so much. Blue, I love you so much.”

Interestingly among T-shirts at the merchandise stall was one which declared Boycott Beyoncé. It was an allusion to the anger she provoked with some US police unions that her Black Panthers-inspired Super Bowl appearance this year was a political comment on police brutality against African-Americans. She later explained to Elle magazine, “Anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken. I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things.”

By the end of this week, Lemonade is expected to sell 550,000-plus equivalent album units (with 450,000 on CD format). Billboard reports that Beyoncé is on her way to making US chart history.

If, as is expected, Lemonade debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated May 14, she will become both the first act to reach #1 with her first six studio albums, and also the first to debut at #1 with her first six studio sets.

When her self-titled album debuted at #1 in 2013, she became the first woman to hit #1 with their first five studio albums. Only two other acts have five studio albums going to top spot in America: DMX and ‘60s folkie group The Kingston Trio.