Beyoncé, Jay-Z Fierce During On The Run II At Gillette Stadium

FOXBOROUGH, MA — A bit of advice for anyone who may attend a Beyoncé and Jay-Z show, don’t blink. If you do, you’ll miss something. Take your eyes off the action and the next thing you know there’s a 4 x 4 square full of dancers and band members on stage, or music’s first family is on a floating stage.

There was no shortage of stellar displays at the Foxborough stop of the On The Run II tour. Song after song Beyoncé and Jay-Z proved why they are among the best at what they do. A supersized concert, the show met the necessity to give more space for both singers. Two ramps for both of them, a video screen for each, and a floating stage for when they wanted to dance their way down the runway rather than walk.

Beyoncé was very much the Batman with Jay-Z playing her Robin. With both on stage to start with "Holy Grail," "Part II (On The Run)," and "03 Bonnie & Clyde," Queen Bee was the center of attention for the majority of the evening. There was also a contrast for the two performers. Beyoncé threw everything at you, with rarely a pause between songs or a chance to gasp for air, while Jay-Z used some moments to play with the crowd and slow down the pace a bit. For the rapper, there were maybe two or three moments for him alone to shine in the first 14 songs.

Jay-Z, as expected, was the more aggressive of the two. During "99 Problems," a black-and-white montage of mugshots that included Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Lisa Lopez, Jesse Jackson, Sean "Diddy" Combs," and Snoop Dogg among other flashed behind him. In "The Story of O.J.," a screen behind showed old cartoons with racist overtones as Sean Carter rapped about making it in America as a black person. Like his wife, most of his songs flowed into each other, making it hard to tell sometimes where some songs started or ended.

The show, which ran for about 2 hours, 15 minutes and included 41 songs, was broken up across six video interludes which resembled home movies from the '70s and '80s. These moments were needed to avoid wearing out the audience because anything that was done, was done on a massive scale. The large amount of songs meant that some tracks were cut to a verse and a chorus, which meant that while things felt crammed together, it was a sacrifice to make sure that everyone could leave before midnight.

Beyoncé just didn't dance or simply sing, she dazzled. During "Formation" and "Run the World (Girls)," she showcased all her best qualities all while dancing on a moving stage that went from the main area to the end of the ramp. Not that she couldn't bring things to a halt. Sitting at the end of a stage with only a spotlight, "Resentment" was her vocal showcase and a rare pause for her.

By the end of the show, the phrase "This is real love" flashed on the screen, the couple kissed, what appeared to be home movies played behind them, and performed a combination of "Young Forever" and "Perfect Duet," before ending with, "APES**T," the lead single from "Everything is Love." During this finale, all felt right with the two, despite Beyoncé's "Lemonade" album, Jay-Z's rebuttal with "4:44," rumors of infidelity and a loss of love. Walking away hand in hand, you felt that maybe the two album means all is right for the Carters, perhaps an entire football stadium full of fans did watch the work of two people in love, or at least two people who were damn good at selling the idea.

Beyoncé proteges Chloe x Halle and DJ Khaled served as the supporting acts. The sisters' set of eight songs showed many shades of their mentor. DJ Khaled, meanwhile, was more or less the hype man for the main event, having his on-stage DJ run through various crowd pleasers to ensure an energetic crowd by the 9 p.m. start time for the Carters.

Photo by Raven Varona/Parkwood/PictureGroup