Beyonce Brisbane concert review Beyonce wowed Brisbane fans on Monday night. Photo: Rob Hoffman/Invision Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Oh, Beyonce. If I had a million rings, I'd put them all on it. The superstar played the first of two Brisbane concerts at the Entertainment Centre on Monday night as part of her Mrs Carter Show world tour. The 32-year-old razzled and dazzled the capacity crowd, ably supported by an 11-piece all-female band, a BeyHive of backing dancers, screen projections, pyrotechnics, glitter cannons and the entire southern hemisphere's supply of wind machines. Two things stay with you after a Beyonce experience. First, the figure. Undeniable and utterly gorgeous, you can't help but stare at Queen Bey's teeny waist and toned legs, displayed to perfection through nine costume changes. Sound like a girl crush? Believe me, I wasn't the only one. The second indelible memory is of her voice. That voice! A powerful mezzo-soprano, capable of bounding from hard-edged R&B to gloriously seductive ballad to power pop without so much as a hint of a gear change. She suits the live stage, belting out her hits and giving them more form and variation than a studio album allows. The "Mrs Carter" theme (a reference to her husband, Shaun "Jay-Z" Carter) was rather loose, but the visual imagery used to accompany the live performance was consistent: Beyonce as Marie Antoinette, Beyonce in Versailles, Beyonce as empowered temptress, Beyonce as empowered girl-next-door, Beyonce as empowered tribal leader. From the opening salvo of Run The World (Girls), through a heartfelt rendition of If I Were A Boy (mashed with The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony), and sexy turns with Baby Boy and Naughty Girl, the show was all about Beyonce holding court. This is essentially the message of Beyonce-brand pop feminism - you call the shots, you follow your heart, you live your dreams, you move on and move up. There's the romantic stuff of course: a rendition of 1+1 atop a baby grand piano nearly set the Steinway aflame; Love on Top's flushed-cheek optimism was a highlight. But it's Beyonce's fierceness that the crowd adores, and it was best displayed in numbers such as Why Don't You Love Me, which not even a rogue earpiece could derail. The setting of Irreplaceable and Survivor on the B stage (Beyonce's favourite, apparently, because she can really feel the audience's love and energy) gave them an intimacy; we were all fist-pumping together. The climactic double of Crazy in Love and Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) had the crowd baying like wolf puppies. I was somewhat saddened by the mash-up included in Single Ladies, which really is one of the best pop songs ever (Kanye was right about something), but can kinda, maybe, sorta see how performing it over and over could get repetitive. Actually no, I can't see that. It's a brilliant song, and I'm now drawing up a bucket list just to add "See Single Ladies live" and then tick it off. The only semi-aggravating piece of self-indulgence was a video montage of Queen Bey's achievements - hanging with President Obama, performing at the Superbowl, doing charity work, having a baby - set to a voiceover in which she describes how she did what she wanted to do, and will leave a mark that means something. All very well and good, Your Majesty, but some of us have to go home to unwashed dinner plates and the home shopping channel. It's not as easy for us to do what we want - in many cases, there are state laws against it - but Beyonce's power is making us believe we can. The only men onstage during the whole show were Les Twins, Parisian break-dancing brothers who provided just the right amount of sass and style. Beyonce was also incredibly gracious with sharing her space - she thanked her dancers, musicians and back-up singers The Mamas repeatedly. The finale was a cropped cover of I Will Always Love You, which led smoothly into Halo, one of Beyonce's most beautiful songs, and an uplifting end. Somewhat strangely for concerts of this sort there was no encore, simply gracious thank yous to the crowd (including a Happy Birthday tribute to one lucky girl in the front row), applause for the band, and a hearty goodnight from Mrs Carter. It was a low-key, but not unpleasant, ending. Coincidentally, Beyonce's stint in town comes almost 20 years to the day since Madonna's The Girlie Show came to Brisbane - still her only Australian tour. The gig at the then-ANZ Stadium was my first ever pop concert, and it left a permanent imprint on my psyche. It's still the standard by which I measure all other pop concerts. Lady Gaga last year rivalled it, and now Beyonce is closer still.