I was at Beyonce’s magical concert in Dubai – here’s what really went down at the surprise gig of the year-Alicia Adejobi-Entertainment – Metro

Beyonce’s performance at Atlantis The Royal was every inch the spectacle we expected (Picture: Getty Images)

‘Has anyone actually seen Beyonce here?’ 

That was the burning question asked by myself and other members of the press after landing in sun-drenched Dubai, armed with tickets (or in this case, Pichulik bracelets which were our tickets) for the hottest show in town at the luxury Atlantis The Royal, yet worried we’d been tricked into thinking we were getting an exclusive concert from the world’s biggest superstar that weekend. 

In a constant state of disbelief to have actually been invited, we weren’t going to believe it was happening until we saw Queen Bey herself. 

Even the very real sight of Jay Z casually playing backgammon at a food market by the hotel pool seemed too ridiculous to be true and yet, there he was, passing the time like the rest of us until the moment we’d all been waiting for came. 

That moment, of course, was Beyonce hosting a historic show in Dubai, her first time performing in the city and her first performance in five years, all to cut the ribbon on the stunningly shiny new Atlantis The Royal, Dubai’s latest hotel opening its doors this winter. 

Neither Beyonce or Dubai are known for doing things on a small scale and so, it was the perfect fit. 

And boy, was everything done on a big scale. 

It was Queen Bey’s first time performing in Dubai – and her first live show in five years (Picture: Getty Images)

Blue Ivy delivered with all the sass beyond her 11 years (Picture: Getty Images)

Can we just admire the beautiful staging and choreography? (Picture: Getty Images)

Most of us have probably imagined what it’s like to be a celebrity, live like a celebrity and be treated like one. Well, last weekend my curiosity was well and truly satisfied and I got a pretty decent insight into how the other half live – and I’m not ashamed to admit, it was glorious at least just for a short while. Although, it was difficult to completely brush away the sobering fact that I would soon be travelling back to a very frosty UK. 

With that in mind, literally, I made sure to soak up every warm offer of service, all the random surprises offered to us very lucky guests (personalised straw hats? Yes please! A customised tea towel? You bet!), and every morsel of caviar that was so elegantly teased in front of my face at every corner. Seriously, the portions of our caviar servings even shocked the chef who popped out to take a picture. Now thanks to this trip, I’ve developed a very concerning addiction to the oddly appetising snack consisting of a slice of beef melted over a ready salted crisp and topped by a dollop of caviar… if they start selling this in Lidl, I’ll be first in line.  

Speaking of first, the first person I didn’t expect to see hanging out in the food market just a few hours after landing was Jay Z himself. Were my eyes deceiving me? Was I severely jet-lagged and losing my marbles? Nope, he was definitely there, likely watching as I picked out my Peachy Rose slush drink from the gorgeous help-yourself bar that was positioned right beside his table. I like to think he was lowkey entertained by the serious amount of thought I was putting into deciding whether the passion fruit would blend well with the peach notes (sidenote: it absolutely did.) 

Merely seeing him wasn’t the most surprising thing that happened though as, some time after the rap legend kindly thanked the chef for his delicious burger, a delivery arrived especially for him, packaged carefully in a ‘fragile’ box. After moving to another table with more space, he cautiously slipped out a large rectangular turquoise box before admiring its contents which were at first a little difficult to see. Initially, it appeared the rapper and his friends were gazing over a box of very expensive jewellery, so you could imagine my surprise to then realise they were simply playing a game of backgammon. 

Yes, the whole scenario was as wholesome as it sounds, particularly when a little girl momentarily joined in for the fun. No airs and graces or pretentiousness, just a man playing a game of backgammon with his mates on holiday – and hilariously giving the precious board to his security guard to keep a watchful eye over, which he did with pride. 

It was fun to observe just how celebrities act around, well, other celebrities. You couldn’t find two more opposite worlds than Jay Z on one corner of the pool area and Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright in their swimming costumes on the other. Sometimes these two worlds do collide and even the stars get starstruck, with boxer Amir Khan not hesitating to introduce himself to Jay Z and getting a cheeky picture with the icon – a picture of which I can be spotted in the background, having a chat with my own group. 

Atlantis The Royal houses over 700 rooms and is situatd close to the original Atlantis, The Palm (Picture: Getty Images)

We spied Jay Z chilling out near the pool area, as you do (Picture: Getty Images)

Atlantis The Royal, adorned with the most opulent sculptures (Picture: Getty Images)

When you do have so many celebrities in one space – and the superstar status of an act like Beyonce who will naturally attract everyone and their mum – there’s of course a special party for them all to mingle and rub shoulders with each other. 

So, after dining at the spectacularly overwhelming Feast of Dreams dinner, myself and a few others later found ourselves upstairs at Kendall Jenner’s 818 afterparty by the rooftop pool where I bumped into the humble Halle Bailey, Disney’s new princess who will make her debut as The Little Mermaid this summer, and spotted Mathew Knowles standing in the thick of the action on the dancefloor. With Dubai’s beautifully expansive skyline as our backdrop, the DJ whipping out bangers and the general buzz of excitement from guests in attendance, it would be easy to feel like you were on top of the world. 

Even with a Beyonce performance still to come, it was hard to imagine how anything would be able to top the exciting events of the first night. 

But, this is Queen Bey we’re talking about and, of course, she served everything we expected and more. 

Having seen Beyonce in concert several times already, I can confidently say this performance was like no other. The staging was powerful with various water features lighting up the area, providing its own soothing sound effect during some of the more quiet moments of the set. Typically, you might hear a few groans and clock-watching while waiting for an artist to come out on stage but this time, those of us incredibly lucky to have a spot inside the momentous show were united in cheers and pure joy as we managed to spy streams and streams of Beyonce’s dancers and live band strutting through the Atlantis The Royal’s large halls, oozing magnificence in their sparkly red outfits. 

A truly magical weekend (Picture: Getty Images)

Then, like a goddess greeting her subjects, Queen Bey rose from nowhere and drew us into a trance-like state as she serenaded with At Last, an apt opener for her first time performing in Dubai and after five years overall. Now if Beyonce is the embodiment of ultimate star power, her daughter Blue Ivy is quickly coming for her crown with the youngster strutting down the steps with sass way beyond her 11 years, and the audience soaking in her stage presence. As someone who typically channels Sasha Fierce, it was heartwarming to see Beyonce in mum mode, supportively – and protectively – rubbing Blue’s back as a sign of reassurance. 

Whether to respect the conservative culture of the Middle Eastern city or to ease herself back into performing, Beyonce’s setlist was noticeably very pared back and choosing mostly an array of big vocal numbers over hip-thrusting joints was not something I had on my bingo card. However, it made the performance feel all the more powerful with much of the focus on her singing – not that Beyonce has ever had to prove her talent, but it was refreshing to hear her raw vocals live after so long. 

And just like that, the queen served and she was gone, leaving us in a haze of bliss after blessing us with a magical hour. 

Topped off with an opulent fireworks display, the show was done and we were all free to party to the sounds of Swedish House Mafia, right beside the very stage where we just watched history. 

The whirlwind weekend was certainly one of the most surreal showbiz events I’ve ever been invited to (and let me tell you, there have been some corkers), and I know it will forever be etched in my memory, backgammon and all. 

But see, the problem with being showered in complete luxury for a few days is that it’s very easy to become accustomed to it. So while I probably won’t be buying saffron in abundance anytime soon, it was nice to get a taste just for a short while.  

On second thoughts, caviar and beef on crisps, anyone?

To be one of the first to stay at Atlantis The Royal, guests can make a reservation at  www.atlantistheroyal.com. Reservations are now open, for stays from February 2023 onwards. 

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