Concertgoers dressed in their best club gear made their way to the St. Pete Times Forum to see Beyonce on Saturday night.

Ladies sported skinny jeans and coordinating stilettos while the men rocked everything from linen suits to baggy jeans.

Opening act Robin Thicke came out in his signature black button-down shirt and pants with Adidas shell toe shoes. He warmed things up with crowd favorites "Can U Believe" and "Lost Without You."

Between performers, those with tickets in the nosebleeds were told to make their way toward the stage and fill in the lower levels. After shrills and applause, the masses moved in without incident, yet highlighted the fact that the show was undersold.

Then came Ms. B from beneath the stage in a plume of smoke wearing a silver sequined dress. Her hair blew in the breeze as she reached for the sky lighted up by a sea of sparklers revealing a multi-tiered stage - reminiscent of something in the blockbuster film "Dreamgirls" - featuring her all-female band.

As the crowd screamed in excitement, she began the set with "Crazy In Love" and ripped off the bottom of her outfit, leaving her to shimmy across the stage in a minidress to sing "Freakum Dress."

Beyonce moved continuously, whether to cross the stage or to dance in carefully choreographed moves. There was plenty of booty-shaking and head-flipping to last the evening as she barreled through her song list that hit a remix of "Baby Boy" featuring dance hall artist Sean Paul, "Green Light" and "Beautiful Liar." For her fans from back in the days of Destiny's Child, she dug into her discography and performed "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name."

Her sultry talking voice was milky smooth on stage except for a few times when Simon Cowell of "American Idol" fame would have reprimanded her for screaming into the microphone. The tour, billed as "The Beyonce Experience," had plenty of eye candy including a corps of dancers also making multiple costume changes, and simple props such as a ballet dancer bar.

Although her moves got repetitious, the Houston native had remarkably strong vocals, rarely sounding breathless despite all the gyrating. Beyonce worked it as best as she could.

By Jason Behnken,
Tribune