Dubai’s newest ultra-luxury resort, Atlantis The Royal, holds a show-stopping grand opening featuring a performance from Queen B, and appearances from Jay-Z and Kendall Jenner
We’d been hearing the rumours for weeks: that Beyoncé was scheduled to stage a performance in Dubai – and last Saturday, it actually happened. As I’m sure you’ve seen from all the leaked videos from the strictly ‘no phones, no filming’ event (ty Beyhive x), Queen B performed a 60-minute set to a crowd of invite-only guests – and somehow we were lucky enough to make the cut.
Here’s what went down at the show and at the wider opening of this new hotel, the luxury of which is off the scales...
THE SHOW WAS INSANE...
The show – Beyoncé’s first since her history-making performance at Coachella in 2018 – was one hour of pure wow. Yet again, her live vocals surpassed her recordings, yet it still felt like she was holding back the true force of her vocal talent. There were moments when she displayed that her unrivalled vocal range, but she did so with such ease that it looked like a walk in the park. Beyoncé opened with Etta James’ “At Last”, rising in front of the Renaissance (the time period not the album)-themed backdrop in a yellow sequinned and feathered gown by Atelier Zuhra, a Dubai-based designer. Her second look by Nicolas Jebran, a Lebanese designer, was a little red dress. Her third and final outfit was a pink gown and gloves by Frolov, a Kyviv-founded couture-to-wear brand, with a D&G overcoat. The Mayyas, an all-female precision dance group from Lebanon, added colour to the rainbow-hued set.
There was a performance of “Brown Skin Girl” featuring Blue Ivy, which featured the cutest mother-daughter choreo to match. And she also gave us “Flaws and All” live for the first time in what I’m sure is nearing a decade… can the Beyhive confirm? Most of the set was ballad-themed, and no, there were no Rennaissance tracks. The show closed with “Drunk in Love”, with Beyoncé rising into the sky amid a sea of showers from the fountain show, followed by a firework display that could be seen for miles.
THE GUESTS WERE PRETTY MEGA
Jay-Z made an appearance at the opening of Kendall Jenner’s new “rooftop infinity pool lounge, Cloud 22, along with Chloe Bailey who was seen hanging out with Bree Runway, and her sister Halle who was seen with her boyfriend, the rapper DDG. Kendall was also present at a dinner put on by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal dinner, while Letitia Wright and Edward Enninful were also spotted during the weekend.
THE ATLANTIS ROYAL HOTEL LIVED UP TO THE HYPE
The service was impeccable and featured meals from the aforementioned Heston, along with Nobu Mathashi, Milos and Jaleo by Jose Andres, among others. The views from the hotel were jaw-dropping, with the Dubai skyline on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other. Eight years in the making, the attention to detail and sheer scale of the luxury was astounding. During our stay we were able to visit the amazing Awaken Spa, the world’s largest waterpark Aquaventure and even the hotel’s private beach. And this three-day stay only scratched the surface of what the place has to offer, the full extent of which will be available from next month.