I Am... Yours

I Am... Yours

Las Vegas Revue concert by Beyoncé Knowles
Promotional poster for Knowles' Las Vegas show
Venue	Encore Theatre Las Vegas, Nevada
Supporting album	I Am... Sasha Fierce
Date(s)	July 30, 2009–August 2, 2009
Beyoncé Knowles concert chronology
I Am... Yours (2009) 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé (2011)

I Am... Yours was a 2009 Las Vegas revue show by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles, in support of her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce. The concerts were held at the Encore Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was deemed "an intimate encounter" as Knowles portrayed a more raw and uninhibited show versus her previous concert performances. The success of the show has lead Wynn Resorts to ask Knowles to return as a residency act.

Background

When Knowles' I Am… Tour (2009-2010), was announced by Entertainment Weekly, the article mentioned Knowles would perform a week-long Las Vegas showcase. As tour dates were announced, it was later revealed that Knowles would perform four shows in Las Vegas. According to Knowles, the show is an "unplugged" version of her normal concerts, she removed all the elaborate costumes and theatrics of her latest tour and performed with her band, Suga Mama, and a small team of dancers.

During the documentary, "What Happens in Vegas…", Knowles states when the idea of a Vegas show was presented to her, she wanted the show to be a complete 180 from her current tour. Also, she did not want it to the typical Las Vegas revue showcase. She wanted to remove the theatrics and "consciously show that I don't need any of that stuff. Just give me my band, a stage and some cool smoke and lights." Knowles and her production quickly organized the show in seven days, based on a script provided by filmmaker Matthew Dickens. She would often rehearse during sound checks of her 2009 tour.

The concept of the shows revolves around Knowles' recording career, from her early childhood beginnings to the star she is today. "In the beginning, I'm gonna start out, sing and make it about my songwriting, my arrangements, my band and my love for music. Then, I'm gonna tell my story. This way, I can sing all of the hit songs, the songs that people want. But, it's a deeper meaning [...] these songs meant more than just the chorus that's catchy [...] it's my life.

Since the show was created last minute, there were many changes. Originally, the set list included, "Ego", "At Last", "Listen", "Ring the Alarm", and "Upgrade U". These songs were later removed from the set list.

About the show

The show begins with a narrator introducing Knowles to the audience. Knowles appears from the back of the theater performing "Hello." She greets the audience and makes her way towards the stage as she performs. At the stage, Knowles performs "Halo". Next, she performs "Irreplaceable" and interacts with the audience. She later moves into an acoustic medley, performing "Sweet Dreams", "Dangerously In Love 2" and "Sweet Love" (originally recorded by Anita Baker). The medley leads into "If I Were a Boy" (which contains excerpts from "You Oughta Know") and "Scared of Lonely". The show continues with a performance of "That's Why You're Beautiful," intertwined with excerpts from "The Beautiful Ones" (originally recorded by Prince), "Satellites," and "Resentment". The first act concludes with Knowles performing a jazz-fused "Déjà Vu." Before the next act begins, three dancers appear and perform a tap sequence called "Bebop."

Knowles begins the second act by telling the story of her career, startimg from when she was nine years old to her latest album. Knowles states one of the very first songs she remembers learning was Michael Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are". She continues with a medley of Destiny's Child hits including songs like "No No No", "Bug a Boo", "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name" whilst in between the songs, Knowles provides the story behind them. The medley leads into "Work It Out" and "'03 Bonnie & Clyde, which starts her solo career. As the set continues, Knowles explains how her record company felt her debut album did not have one hit song. She sarcastically remarks, "I guess they were kinda right... I had five." Knowles goes on to perform "Crazy in Love" (reminiscent of "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner), "Naughty Girl" and "Get Me Bodied". As the show draws to a close, Knowles performs "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and exits the stage while thanking everyone who took part in the show.

Critical reception

Overall, the show received a positive response from many music critics. Mike Weatherford of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote, "The spectacle rivals Celine Dion's 'A New Day' as the singer transforms from fragile soul to the rock warrior alter ego of her album title, 'I Am ... Sasha Fierce'" A less favorable review came from Margaret Lyons of Entertainment Weekly. She writes, "I just wish this special had the balls to call itself “I Am…Mine” and admit that among the many things we admire about Beyonce is that she’s not ours. In fact the opposite’s true. We’re hers".

Broadcasts and recordings

Main article: I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas

A double disc CD and DVD, titled I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas, was released in November 2009, featuring the performance recorded on August 2, 2009. The collection featured the full concert, a behind-the-scenes feature, along with an audio CD of the concert. The collection was very successful, debuting at #1 in the United States, and charting in The Top 10 in Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. On November 26, 2009, ABC aired "Beyoncé: I Am… Yours" as a Thanksgiving concert special. The special featured various songs from the show, as well as backstage footage, showing Knowles and her team preparing for the shows. The show was a success, drawing in nearly five million viewers. BET plans to air the entire concert including songs that were not featured on the ABC special. In the United Kingdom I Am... Yours was broadcast on Channel 4 on Christmas Day morning, following an hour-long documentary named Beyoncé: For The Record.

At MTV Latin America, were released several videos of songs like "Halo," "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "Scared of Lonely" among others. These videos were used to promote the album in Latin America and promote the television special "MTV World Stage: Beyoncé Live from Las Vegas".

Set list

1. "Hello"
2. "Halo"
3. "Irreplaceable"
4. Medley:
   1. "Sweet Dreams" (Acoustic)
   2. "Dangerously In Love 2"
   3. "Sweet Love"
5. "If I Were a Boy (contains elements of "California Love" along with excerpts from "You Oughta Know")
6. "Scared of Lonely"
7. "That's Why You're Beautiful" (contains excerpts from "The Beautiful Ones")
8. "Satellites"
9. "Resentment"
10. Jazz Medley (contains elements of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If You Ain't Got That Swing)" and "Bootylicious")
11. "Déjà Vu"
12. Tap Sequence
13. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" (contains excerpts from "Welcome to Hollywood")
14. Destiny's Child Medley:
    1. "No, No, No, Part 1"
    2. "No, No, No, Part 2"
    3. "Bug a Boo"
    4. "Bills, Bills, Bills"
    5. "Say My Name"
    6. "Jumpin', Jumpin'"
    7. "Independent Women, Part 1"
    8. "Bootylicious"
    9. "Survivor"
15. "Work It Out"
16. "'03 Bonnie & Clyde"
17. "Crazy in Love"
18. "Naughty Girl"
19. "Get Me Bodied"
20. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (contains elements of "Electric Feel")
21. "Finale" (contains elements of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and "Ornithology")

External links

• Official website
• Beyoncé - I Am... Yours. An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas
• Beyoncé and Encore Las Vegas