I Regret $2,300 Floor Seat Tickets

• I am a founding member of the Beyhive. I’ve never missed a Beyoncé concert tour or residency.
• Bey’s Renaissance World Tour was utterly amazing; a silver-speckled, immersive homage to ballroom culture.
• Still, my floor seats at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey were disappointing and had low visibility.

Beyoncé is the greatest live performer alive — and she proved as much when she kicked off her Renaissance World Tour earlier this summer.

The 56-date tour, which began in May overseas in Stockholm, Sweden, is an immersive homage to ballroom culture. Based on Bey’s seventh solo album, 2022’s “Renaissance,” the mother of the house herself brought her club music-enthused tracks to life with a giant-sized silver bedazzled horse, duck walking, a variety of thigh-high boots, and a couple of robotic arms.

I wrestled through Ticketmaster’s complicated Verified Fan sales, and the Beyhive presale, only to walk away waitlisted for both.

So when my friend suggested I try a random presale code she saw on Twitter, I was delighted to find that it not only worked but there were plenty of “good” seats left at the July tour date I wanted: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Feeling pressured by Ticketmaster’s countdown clock, I purchased two tickets for around $1,150 each.

Even though I bumped into Blue Ivy and Jay Z while leaving the stadium (OMG; I’m still pinching myself!), here’s why I regret my floor seats and will likely consider sitting in a different section for her next concert tour — if she blesses us again.

Floor seats do come with perks, but it doesn’t guarantee visibility

 

 

Ticketmaster

 

When we arrived at MetLife around 7:30 p.m., it was exciting to check in and get our orange wristbands. Those bands allowed us access to the stadium floor and its facilities.

Once secured, we walked our way out into the stadium and found our spot — Section 3, Row 16.

It felt very close to the main stage and the now-iconic circular-shaped runway, designed by entertainment architects Stufish and stage designer Es Devlin, who’s also worked with Adele, U2, and The Weeknd.

Being on the floor also meant seeing many of the VIPs who came out to support Beyoncé while on this tour stop. There’s been social-media footage of celebrities from Madonna and Megan Thee Stallion to Oscar-nominated actor Taraji P. Henson and “Game of Thrones” actor Emilia Clarke at Bey’s tour.

During Beyoncé’s second night in New Jersey, my husband and I saw Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, and even rapper Fat Joe.

 

 

Joi-Marie McKenzie/Insider

 

And as I humble-bragged before, while making our way to our cars during Bey’s last song of the night, “Summer Renaissance,” security forcefully stopped us before we ran right into Blue Ivy, accompanied a few paces back by her billionaire dad, Jay Z. Talk about a highlight of my life!

Still, as an entertainment reporter for more than 15 years, celebrity sightings weren’t enough to make up for my low visibility during the actual concert.

The circular stage’s risers prevented me from seeing the best parts of the show off-screen

As a live concert enthusiast — I’ve probably been to more than 500 shows in my lifetime — I prefer to sit on the floor so I can see an artist in their element with my own two eyes.

While I appreciate how jumbo screens allow me to see extra details that just aren’t possible with the naked eye in a stadium, my preference is always to try and see the experience for myself.

When Beyoncé opened her set with three of her iconic ballads, “Dangerously In Love,” “Flaws and All” (I was surprised to see her sing without getting emotional. True fans know she always tears up just a little bit while singing that one), and “1+1,” she utilized the main stage.

 

 

Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood

 

While Bey was on the larger stage, I had high visibility, able to go expertly back and forth between the screens and my own eyes with ease. And although some fans were sitting on what’s called the “Pure/Honey On Stage Risers,” or literal risers onstage, they were off to the side enough so they didn’t block our view.

I also really loved that Bey took a page from her Coachella set and used risers to be even higher onstage, making visibility great while she sang her Platinum-hit single, “Cuff It,” one of my favorite performances of the night.

But as the show progressed, my naked-eye visibility worsened due to how the circular runway was built. On either side of it, there’s a raised portion of the platform, five steps higher than the rest of the runway.

This allowed Bey, and her dancers, to walk up and down, but it also blocked my view when Bey was on the interior runway that cuts into the circle, which was a lot during the later part of the concert.

I didn’t even see Blue Ivy come out onstage and instead relied on the jumbo screens to see our niece do her ones and twos.

 

 

Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood

 

We also thought Beyoncé would come around to our part of the circle more, but even when she did, she turned inward toward the Club Renaissance pit section, so it was a bit of a letdown.

Despite visibility issues, I still had a life-changing, inspiring time during the Renaissance World Tour. One of the reasons why I’ve never missed a solo concert tour or residency is that seeing Beyoncé perform the music that inspires all of us, reminds me to tap into my greatest potential as an artist.

She reminds me that as a creative, woman, a mother of multiples, and a wife, I can do anything — and do it gloriously.

If Beyoncé decides to go on tour again, I’ll be right there, ticket in hand. I just may pay for a seat in the 100 section instead of on the floor.