Beyonce’s Formation World Tour Message Is Deeply Personal

Beyoncé’s 2016 Formation World Tour came to an end in early October, with a final show on Oct. 7, 2016 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Throughout the course of this incredible, globe-spanning tour, audiences were treated to an uplifting display of singing, dancing, effects, and an extremely powerful and important message.

The most important message Beyoncé sends through her music, performances, videos, etc. is one of self-love, self-acceptance, self-respect, self-honor, and self-discovery.

The performance given at the Formation World Tour initially seems to tell the narrative of Beyoncé’s evolving relationship with Jay-Z, but eventually it emerges as a tale of self-discovery, seamlessly intertwining old and new songs to tell her story.

Kicking off the opening number, 2016’s Queen Bey says to the audience, “If you know exactly who you are and where you come from say ‘I slay,'” which was met with the exact response that one would imagine– an entire stadium of people screaming “I slay” in unison. Then she says, “If you are proud of who you are and where you come from say ‘I slay,'” which was again met with the same response.

Then the show really began. Bey (along with dancers, band, and techies) performed songs which perhaps depicted her attitude before her relationships (‘Run The World,’ ‘Bow Down’).

These songs transitioned into more relationship-oriented pieces like “Mine,” “Hold Up,” and “Countdown,” which appeared to represent her first relationship, or perhaps her first try with Jay-Z.

Next, she stood alone onstage and performed “Me, Myself, and I” after telling the audience, “The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself.” After that, she sang ‘”Runnin (Lose It All),” a song by Naughty Boy which Bey is featured on, and that features the line, “if I lose myself, I lose it all.” This seems to represent her getting back to herself after a relationship ends, something that happens to everyone after an important relationship is over.

The rest of the show basically continues this alternating pattern of falling hard in love, and then allowing that love to end and having to pick up the pieces of yourself afterwards. She ends the show by saying, “I’m just a girl from Houston, TX,” with an adorable smile and a laugh.

This tour serves as Beyoncé making the statement that she, just like anyone else, falls deep in love and sometimes loses herself in her relationship, but has learned with time and experience that the the most important thing in maintaining a successful relationship is to get to know yourself and to get to love yourself before you’re able to know and love someone else.

Beyoncé’s message is powerful and important; it is something beyond the political and societal statements that everyone seems to think are ruining her music (or making it better, in some opinions). This statement is deeply personal and is meant to be received by each and every one of her fans in the audience. Beyoncé succeeds in making each audience member feel singularly important, and, among all of those people, her message feels like advice from a friend.