During “Alien Superstar,” technical difficulties momentarily derailed the show
The sound system at Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Arena took the “Everybody on Mute” challenge at Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour a little too seriously — and during the wrong song. During the singer’s “Alien Superstar” performance at Thursday night’s show, the audio cut out just as she began the opening verse.
Ironically, the one part of the song that did play before it was derailed by technical difficulties ominously predicted the problem: “Please do not be alarmed, remain calm/Do not attempt to leave the dancefloor/The DJ booth is conducting a troubleshoot test of the entire system.”
It wasn’t part of the show, but Beyoncé got it all back on track. After exiting the stage, the musician returned with a revamped outfit and enough energy to make up for the blip in the set. When the show eventually did reach “Energy” a few songs later, the audience lasted about eight seconds into the “Everybody on Mute” challenge before their cheering was loud enough to indicate that the show could move on.
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The Renaissance tour will resume with its next show on Saturday, August 26, when Beyoncé will perform the first of two nights at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The North American leg of the run will come to an end in the coming weeks, its final show scheduled for Oct. 1 in Kansas City, Missouri. The tour currently also has remaining performances set for Santa Clara, Inglewood, Vancouver, Seattle, Arlington, Houston, and New Orleans.
An earlier show scheduled for Aug. 3 in Pittsburgh was canceled due to production logistics and scheduling issues. “We are in conversations with the promoter for the event in order to gain an understanding about what led to the cancellation and if there is anything we can do as a city to find a new date or location for her show,” Mayor Ed Gainey shared in a statement at the time. The tour’s two stops in Seattle and Kansas City were initially postponed, with both venues citing the same technical reasoning.
