What Beyoncé’s Performance at Coachella Taught Us About Believing in Our Vision

In April 2018, Queen Beyoncé completely snatched our edges with the most iconic Coachella performances in the history of probably all performances.

The singer borrowed heavily from the marching band and Greek scene of historically black colleges for her Coachella debut.

Most historically black colleges have singularly the most electrifying marching bands in history. If you have no concept of the culture, watch the movie Drum Line.

There is drama, fierce competition between other HBCU marching bands, remarkable music, dance girls, majorettes, flags, colors, dance battles, hair flying, sweat rolling, theatrical makeup, flips, slips, fainting ….basically anything you could ask for in a live performance.

Black fraternities and sororities offer the same kind of excitement in their respective step shows and again if you need a point of reference watch the 2006 hit movie Stomp the Yard (spoiler alert, Chris Brown dies)

Beyoncé’s Coachella performance (or should we call it Beychella?) brought the exact energy and black excellence as any HBCU marching band, sorority, or fraternity. It was like A Different World on steroids and music.

Beychella deserved a Tony, an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe, but guess what? It almost didn’t happen. The person who almost had Bey’s entire iconic performance shutdown was the most unlikely source ever… Beyoncé’s mother- Tina Knowles.

You heard that right, Mama Tina, the sweet lady who was instrumental in getting Beyoncé’s career off the ground. The woman who created most of Beyoncé’s costumes in the early days of Destiny’s Child. The woman, who even made her famous Cajun turkey for the hosts of 106 and Park back in the day, was almost the reason Beychella would have never seen the light of day.

Shortly after her daughter’s iconic performance, Mama Tina took to the social media site Instagram to shed a little light on what she said to Beyoncé behind the scenes about the concept of the star’s performance,

I told Beyoncé that I was afraid that the predominately white audience at Cochella would be confused by all the Black culture and Black college culture because it was something that they might not get.

The statement wasn’t horrible, actually. Tina was trying to protect her daughter from having a performance that might not go over well and potentially embarrass her firstborn.

Mama Tina probably was thinking back to the star’s Grammy performance of 2017 that didn’t quite sit well with some online white critics because the esoteric black goddess imaginary used in Bey’s performance went over the heads of many.

What was dope about the entire conversation though was Beyoncé’s rejoinder. According to Bey’s mother the supernova replied,

I have worked very hard to get to this point where I have a true voice and at this point in my life and my career I have a responsibility to do what’s best for the world and not what is most popular.

“Yass, Queen,” was all I could think when I read Bey’s retort. How many times have you had a vision for something and maybe your well meaning mom or dad totally shuts it down because they were trying to protect your time, feelings, or bag?

I’ll admit that my mom totally shut me down in high school from doing something what could have totally changed my life. I was given a huge opportunity to be in radio and she flat out said “No”. My mom wasn’t trying to hurt me she was trying to ‘protect’ me in her own words.

I knew what she wanted for me was wrong, even at the time, but I let her talk me out of it. Now, over a decade, later I’m slowly crawling back to radio through podcasting because it is a part of my purpose.

I’m sure you’ve experienced this situation too by way of friends, family, co-workers and other sources. In their efforts to protect you, they might try to stop you from doing something you know in your heart you were called to do. The fact of the matter is God gave you the vision, not your family or friends.

When God gives you vision it will often be so big it will be scary to the people around you, but that vision is your gift and it is meant to be seen through.

God doesn’t give your vision to your mama, daddy, sister, or cousins, he gives it to you and sometimes you must take a leap of faith and go for it despite anyone’s commentary.

I bet someone who is reading right now is really struggling with the idea of doing something that is right for them, but because they are fearful of the opinions of their circle they will not free fall into the plan.

If this is your situation, pull a Beyoncé on everyone. Understand that your vision might be uncomfortable or hard for the people you love to digest at first, but go for it!

Stand firm by the vision and rock it out… often you will receive an apology from the very people who doubted you in the first place. Mama Tina even admitted to feeling embarrassed and ashamed of not accepting her daughters vision at first.

Not only did her Coachella performance solidify Beyoncé as one of the greatest entertainers of all time, the mega super star has an entire documentary airing today on the movie/television streaming service Netflix about her iconic performance along with a live album of the performance available on all music streaming outlets.

Be audacious like our Queen Bey and take a risk! Believe in God’s vision for you and follow His direction completely through. Your vision could be the thing the completely changes your life!

Watch Beyonce follow her vision on Netflix with her new documentary entitled Homecoming which shows exclusive behind the scenes action as the Queen makes her way to the Coachella stage.

Also, join the Conversation. Have you ever experienced a time where you stood by you vision despite the naysayers?

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