Beyonce 45 minutes late for opening UK show on Formation tour – but the superstar’s worth the wait as she stuns crowd
From Destiny's Child to Queen Bey...the pop diva went through her back catalogue like a pro at Stadium of Light in Sunderland
SHE has long been accused of carefully stage-managing her image to within an inch of its life.
But there is one thing BEYONCE can't control - the weather.
The US superstar was 45 minutes late for the opening show of her UK tour in Sunderland last night after torrential rain in the city caused major delays.
At 8.40pm - almost an hour after she was due on - crew members were still manned with mops trying to get rid of several large puddles on the middle of the stage.
The last thing they wanted for Queen Bey was a MADONNA-style slip.
Even her band members and their instruments had to be encased inside a waterproof shelter at the side of the stage.
It could not have been a more perfect introduction to the Great British summer time for the world's greatest pop diva.
However they perhaps should have been better prepared for stormy conditions after deciding to kick off the tour in the North East of England.
Unsurprisingly, fans - many of who had stood in the downpour all day to get the best view of their idol - started to get a little tetchy and urged her on with screams every five minutes.
It finally worked, and at 8.45pm Beyonce appeared on stage among a haze of smoke.
One of the £5 ponchos being sold outside the Stadium of Light would have done her good, but instead she opted for a sparkly black corset and tights.
Her giant fedora hat acted as a good replacement umbrella.
Backed by tens of matching dancers, she finally kicked off the set with latest hit Formation, which she first debuted during COLDPLAY's SuperBowl half-time show earlier this year.
She told the jam-packed 50,000-strong crowd: "If y'all came to slay tonight, say 'I slay!'
"If you slay tonight and every day say, 'I slay!'
"If you are proud of who you are and where you come from, say 'I slay!'"
It was more 'ha-way' than 'slay' from the Sunderland masses.
Due to her late arrival, Beyonce stayed on later than planned to pack more than 30 songs into the two-hour set.
The singer's back catalogue is so big that she was forced to cut down some favourites, like Runnin' and Drunk In Love, to just one verse and a chorus.
She kept chat to a minimum between hits too, only pausing to say: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for having me tonight."
Not even the rain lashing down sideways was going to stop Beyonce, who went at it full pelt all night.
However she did have to grab a towel to give her soggy face a good wipe.
ADELE would have been proud of Bey's potty mouth during song Don't Hurt Yourself, which should have come with an X-rated warning.
The highlight of the show was an acapella version of Love On Top, which reduced several fans in the front row to tears.
There were plenty more of them as a recording of Purple Rain played out as a tribute to the late PRINCE.
But the biggest cheer of the night came as videos from Beyonce and husband JAY-Z's wedding day were played on the giant cubed screen behind her - knocking down those marriage crisis rumours yet again.
Beyonce has another 15 nights to go of her mammoth 49-date world tour, including six more in the UK and Ireland - not that she is slowing down.
As if she hadn't got wet enough already, the set climaxed with the star and her squad of dancers splashing around in a pool of water as she performed Freedom and DESTINY'S CHILD hit Survivor.
There was just enough time left for one more, an incredible rendition of ballad Halo - followed no doubt by a hot bath.
She certainly earned it.