Beyoncé Paid $24 Million To Perform Private Concert In Dubai

Beyoncé returned to the stage over the weekend for a private launch event for Dubai’s Atlantis the Royal hotel — a gig for which she was reportedly paid tens of millions of dollars.

The 41-year-old superstar gave her first full concert in more than four years during the opening of the luxury hotel located on the outer crescent of Palm Island. The show featured lavish and colorful costumes, performances of her hit singles and a special duet with her 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.

TMZ reported that Beyoncé was paid $24 million to headline the star-studded launch party.

International Business Times could not independently verify this information, but U.K.’s The Telegraph also reported that the singer received £20 million ($24.86 million) to perform to a VIP audience.

It appeared that no expense was spared for the “grand opening” of the luxurious hotel, with celebrities including Kendall Jenner, Liam Payne and Rebel Wilson being “flown” to the 43-story hotel for the event.

Beyoncé sang 19 songs, including “Countdown,” “Crazy in Love,” “XO,” “Halo” and “Freedom.” She brought Blue Ivy, her eldest child with her husband Jay-Z, to the stage for a duet of “Brown Skin Girl,” according to TMZ.

The show lasted one hour and ended with a huge fireworks display.

The pop superstar received support from her family, with Jay-Z, their 5-year-old twins Rumi and Sir, and Beyoncé parents Tina and Mathew Knowles all present during the concert.

Beyoncé’s Dubai show marked her first full-length live performance since headlining Coachella in 2018. The singer has since been out of the limelight, only performing two songs during a tribute to late NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, in 2020. She also appeared at last year’s Oscars to perform “Be Alive” from the movie “King Richard.”

Recording devices were banned during Beyoncé’s Dubai performance, but a number of audience members didn’t follow the rules and leaked footage of the event on social media.

According to a Beyoncé Twitter fan page, an unidentified social media user attempted to live stream the concert, but it was cut off when the singer hit the stage.

“A livestream showing The Atlantis resort cut off immediately as Beyoncé hit the stage. It’s possible Wi-Fi has been turned off, and signal blockers could be in use,” the fan page tweeted.

Members of the LGBTQ community were “disappointed” by the music icon’s decision to headline the show and called her out for the “hypocrisy of performing in the United Arab Emirates” where same-sex relationships are illegal and punishable by imprisonment or death, The Telegraph reported.

“Beyoncé is a huge icon for many gay people. LGB Alliance is deeply therefore disappointed that Beyoncé has agreed to give a lucrative concert in Dubai, where same-sex sex acts are a criminal offense, potentially punishable by death,” LGB Alliance co-founder Bev Jackson told the outlet, adding that it “casts a shadow over her support for lesbians and gay people.”

Beyoncé and her representatives have yet to release a statement regarding the criticism.