New York (Top40 Charts/
Music World Music/ Columbia Records) -
Superstar and cultural icon Beyonce, ended her 2009 "I AM..." World Tour with a sensational live concert in the Caribbean on the island of Trinidad on February 18, 2010. The "I AM..." World Tour launched in Edmondton, Canada on March 29, 2009 and spanned across
Europe including stops in Austria, Spain and The United Kingdom.
Beyonce's first of four sold-out shows at London's 20,000-seat O2 Arena, Europe's largest in-door concert venue, inspired the Telegraph.co.uk to headline its review: "Beyonce Knowles raised the bar for what can be done in an arena show at the O2."
The North American leg of the "I AM..." World Tour kicked off in New York's famed Madison Square Garden on June 21, 2009 and came to a close with a sold-out four-night residency at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas on August 2. During this stint, the powerhouse filmed her "I AM...YOURS An Intimate Performance At Wynn Las Vegas" DVD, which later went on to become the number one music DVD in the country. The ABC Television Network aired an edited version of the DVD as a Thanksgiving Night one-hour special.
During the North American leg of the "I AM..." World Tour, Beyonce co-sponsored food drives as part of a Show Your Helping Hand initiative, a national hunger relief campaign created by General Mills' Hamburger Helper in partnership with Beyonce and her Survivor Foundation. The campaign goal was to help Feeding America deliver more than 3.5 million meals to local food banks.
Upon the completion of several tour dates in Australia, Beyonce was honored with the coveted Billboard Woman of The Year Award at a ceremony held in New York City on October 2, 2009. The "I AM..." World Tour continued with shows in Japan and additional dates in The United Kingdom, including two sold-out shows in Ireland at Dublin's O2 Arena, before concluding in South America and the Caribbean. The "I AM..." World Tour which critics have called "spectacular" and "dazzling" was also named the world's No 1 concert attraction by Billboard Magazine's Hot Tour rankings.
Last month, Beyonce broke the record for most Grammy wins by a female artist in a single year taking home six awards, including "Song of the Year" (for "Single Ladies"). The wins brought her career Grammy total up to 16 (13 as a solo artist and 3 with Destiny's Child.)
According to The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Beyonce is the artist with the most total certifications over the past decade, with a total of 64. The certifications include cumulative album, digital song, master ringtone, and music video certifications. Beyonce also has the most master ringtone certifications for a female solo artist with 19 and the highest certified master ringtone for a female artist with "Irreplaceable" at 3x multi-Platinum. She received her very first Gold album award for her Grammy Award winning debut solo album, "Dangerously in Love" on July 29, 2003. "Dangerously in Love" is currently 4x multi-Platinum.
What the critics had to say:
"Beyonce has a breathtaking need to entertain." - Ben Ratliff of The New York Times
"In a dazzling, flawless performance...Beyonce Knowles captivated a massive and enthusiastic crowd with her music, her moves, her humility and her humanity." - Peter Taylor, Trinidad & Tobago Express
"Beyonce twisted all the theatrics into her musical performance flawlessly, demonstrating her many talents as an artist." - Chantal Eustace, Vancouver Sun
"Beyonce is all the singers at the same time. She has strong voice, exciting songs and refined esthetic on stage. And she is bold! She has Madonna's expertise, Britney's pop energy, MIA's global antenna, Voice of the Great American Black Singers, and Whitney Houston's moments. She is not only a singer, she is a performer. And very, very good." - Thiago Ney, Folha De S. Paulo
"Looking like a goddess in gold, Beyonce masterfully bewitched the 18,000 strong crowd with an amazing performance..." - Jay Hanna, Perth Now
"Pure dynamite." - Segundo Caderno, O Globo,
"For song after song and dance step after dance step, the Bootylicious star delivered a mind blowing performance..." - Deborah McAleese and Lauren Mulvenny, Belfast Telegraph
"Beyonce raises the bar for what can be done in an arena show at O2." - Tom Horan, Telegraph UK
