While in the midst of the European leg of their tour, a bunch of “On the Run II” tour book photos have begun to surface, which (of course) have some people in their feelings. Shot in Jamaica, images include Beyoncé and Jay-Z snuggled up in bed with Jay shirtless as well as shots of Bey shot naked as she heads into the ocean.
The duo coupled up is not a new theme. Since the tour kicked off, most of the images posted on beyonce.com have been of Beyoncé and Jay-Z together. Video interlude shown during the concert reveals the couple renewing their vows in a ceremony that took place after the twins were born.
Comic Lil Duval weighed in on the images on Instagram and described them as stupid, adding, “jay how u let the photographer talk u into this?” While Duval might think Jay looks soft (which in and of itself is stupid), the bigger issue for Beyoncé fans is that Jay is in the picture at all.
Ever since the tour was announced, fans have been vocal in their wish Jay not be included.While the Beyhive has always had mixed feelings about Jay, Beyoncé’s Lemonade album for many sealed the deal on a lifetime commitment to hating on her husband. It didn’t help that Jay restirred the pot with his own 4:44 album confirming he cheated. Adding to hive bitterness, Beyoncé hasn’t released new music for the tour and thus there’s a sense of being stuck in the last chapter of her story.
Artists always walk a tightrope when it comes to revealing their personal lives in their art. Too little and fans won’t make a connection, too much and you destroy the fantasy. One could argue that for some fans the door into their privates lives was cracked open too wide, whether Bey fans distraught by the idea of the queen staying someone who (unbelievably) cheated as well as more casual fans who don’t like the idea of using something as sacred as a marriage to move units.
At the same time, the theme of the tour literally is that they are on the run together, a continuation of their ongoing Bonnie and Clyde love story whereby through thick and thin they have a soul-mate level of love for each other. While Beyonce’s most devoted fans aint buying the sell, the theme is the theme, and from time to time Bey may privately sympathize with her disgruntled fan base, going off message during a global tour is not an option.
Whether they cut it or not as a couple long term, they will both go down in history as iconic, game-changing performers, and rather than debate the authenticity of the images, 10, 20, 30 years from now, an enduring fan base will appreciate the images for documenting an important moment in time.
Check out Duval’s post below as well as interlude video from the concert and images from the book.
Tour visuals
These tour visuals are like a Hollywood movie in themselves #OnTheRunII pic.twitter.com/SXJWNcKBkk
— Howell Davies (@HOWELLDAVIES) June 6, 2018
OTR 2 book stills
#OTRII Tour Book
via @ggeordiesnore pic.twitter.com/RlREN78Qsw
— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) June 9, 2018
