Beyonce concert for Arena birthday
What better way to celebrate the first birthday of the Perth Arena than with a massive pop extravaganza from Beyonce.
Arriving fashionably late and decked out in a spectacular pearl-encrusted figure-hugging bodysuit, the global superstar hit the stage last night full of ego and attitude.
From the moment the diva kicked off the spectacle with female power anthem Run the World (Girls), she had the 14,500 crowd, some of whom had paid $1400 for a ticket, eating out her hand - despite her being an hour late.
"Perth how you going? We are going to have a really good time tonight," she told the crowd.
The crowd held camera phones aloft for much of the show that featured the 32-year-old's biggest hits such as If I Were a Boy, Crazy in Love and Love on Top.
Her time in girl group Destiny's Child was remembered with a performance of Survivor and, of course, no Beyonce show would be complete without Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and its accompanying dance routine.
Beyonce flew into Perth on Thursday and, that night, local jazz singer Jade Crompton got to replace the megstar when members of Beyonce's all-female band played a surprise 75-minute private gig at The Laneway Lounge in the Perth CBD.
Ms Crompton, a finalist on Australian Idol in 2005 and a regular on the local jazz circuit, was asked by Beyonce's band to perform the lead vocals on one of the star's smash hits, Work it Out.
"I was no replacement," Ms Crompton laughed to The Weekend West when asked how she felt filling in for Beyonce for one night only.
Meanwhile, Beyonce's dance troupe were seen working out on Thursday at Fyah Dance Complex in Osborne Park.
The 10 dancers have a local guide in Perth native Sarah Burns, who tweeted her excitement yesterday about being able to perform on her home turf.
