Beyoncé and Jay-Z Are Stronger Than Ever at ‘OTRII’ Pasadena Rose Bowl Shows

Sandra Miska

After over 15 years together, three kids, and numerous albums, the Carters, better known to the world as Beyoncé and Jay-Z, have embarked on their second co-headlining tour, and Entertainment Voice was there to witness the second of their two shows during the Los Angeles stop of the “On the Run II” tour at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 23 in Pasadena, CA.

The phrase “supercouple” doesn’t begin to describe Mr. and Mrs. Carter, two legends in their own rights and one of the rare A-list couple on truly equal footing. In a world obsessed with the Kardashians, social media and selfies, there has always been an air of mystique around Jay and Bey, who never officially came out as a couple until after their 2008 wedding. However, cracks in their seemingly perfect marriage were first revealed to the public in 2014 after a video surfaced of Beyoncé’s sister, Solange, getting into an altercation with her brother-in-law in an elevator while her sister stood by. Since then, rumors have swirled about Jay-Z’s alleged infidelity, something he confirmed this past year, both in interviews and on his latest solo album, “4:44.” As the release of “Everything Is Love,” the surprise album The Carters dropped this past June, proves, the couple have weathered the storm and emerged stronger than ever, presenting a united front at the Rose Bowl.

When the Rose Bowl was last graced by Beyoncé, it was in May 2016 during “The Formation World Tour,” her tour supporting “Lemonade,” the groundbreaking concept album dealing with the gamut of emotions one goes through falling a betrayal and a subsequent reconciliation. This time around, Mrs. Carter appeared onstage hand-in-hand with her husband, proving to the world the power of forgiveness. Interwoven between songs were sexy and artistic video interludes starring the couple, “The Gangster and the Queen,” depicting the rebirth of their union.

Playing for about two and a half hours, Jay and Bey performed nearly 40 songs, most of them abbreviated for time and pacing purposes. Numbers they performed together included the classic that announced the pair as “the new Bobby and Whitney” (this made more sense in the early 2000s) “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde,” as well as the steamy “Drunk in Love” and the hopeful “Forever Young.” The happy couple also performed their stirring version of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.”

However, as true fans know, Beyoncé is so much more than a doting wife, and the girl power that dominated her previous tour still lingered, coming through loud and clear during rapturous renditions of “Flawless” and “Run the World (Girls,)” plus multiple songs off “Lemonade,” including “Hold Up” and “Sorry” (Shoutout to Beck with the good hair).

Jay-Z, meanwhile, got the crowd going with songs like “Big Pimpin,’” “99 Problems” and “N****s in Paris.” Both husband and wife showed their individual sensitive sides, her most notably with “Resentment,” a soulful number she performed sitting down at the edge of the runway. Jay-Z stirred all kinds of emotions with the sentimental “Song Cry,” and later got the crowd thinking with his thought-provoking “The Story of O.J.”

Beyoncé and Jay-Z brought their “On the Run II” tour to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA on Sept. 22 and Sept. 23.