Crikey, she's stunning!

So, I went down to TVC and managed to get into tonight's Beyoncé concert - and all I can say is WOW!

While the R&B superstar is always impressive, what doesn't come across when you're sitting on a sofa staring at the TV is her sheer presence. She totally owns the stage. And, it would seem, her entourage (no-one has a name, they are collectively 'the dancers' and 'the band').

She is also, it has to be said, gorgeous.

Her voice was pitch-perfect throughout, despite several false starts and production hiccups. Bizarrely, the final show on BBC2 cut out Dangerously In Love, which was perhaps her best vocal performance of the night. Yes, Beyoncé is guilty of the over-emoting Whitney Houston-style warbling that so many Pop Idol auditionees attempt, but the truth is she can pull it off, with a level of pitch and control that few of her contemporaries possess.


Yes, I took a picture on my phone. If it makes any difference, I am thoroughly ashamed of myself.

A full and funky female band backed her up throughout the concert, giving it proper welly on Crazy In Love and Deja Vu.

That said, there was a fair amount of backing track in use (I'm not sure the brass section were even miked up) and it's a shame Beyoncé doesn't see fit to employ backing singers. But maybe Kelly and Michelle are doing something else this week.

What I found weird, though, was the level of adulation in the audience. When I saw Destiny's Child in 2002 there was a Beatlemania-esque level of screaming going on which I put down to the pre-teen audience. But it was there again tonight.

At times it was impossible to hear the PA, and if my tinnitus is any worse after the concert it's solely because of the two girls behind me who, in all honesty, deserved a good slap around the chops.

Screaming harpies aside, it was a fantastic gig - something that didn't necessarily come across on the TV (would it have hurt them to spend a day editing it properly instead of rushing it onto the screen less than an hour after taping?) It bodes very well for Beyoncé's full-blown UK tour next year.

Consider my tickets booked.

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