Beyonce's Back to Business with Revel Shows: Is She the Baddest Chick in the Game?

Jay-Z says Beyonce's the best in the biz. He just might have a point.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Just a few months after having a child, most women might be just easing themselves back into the workplace. But Beyoncé isn’t most women. The pop queen who just had her first baby, Blue Ivy, in January has returned to the stage in a big way this Memorial Day weekend as the first act to perform in Atlantic City's brand new casino resort Revel.

The massive beachfront property (1,800 rooms, 6.3-million-square feet) certainly picked the right star to christen their spot. What they have in real estate, Beyoncé has in star power. On the third of her four sold-out nights at Revel’s 5,050-seat Ovation Hall on Sunday, she didn’t look even a tad bit rusty.

Whether reworking Lauryn Hill’s “Ex Factor,” teasing with a bit of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” or belting out her own “1+1,” B's voice was stellar. Those ballads were the rare moments she sat or stood still on stage. More often, her curvy body—already whipped into fighting shape —was popping along to her all-lady band’s grooves.

There she was dutty wining to “Baby Boy,” wagging her bootyliciousness at the audience during “Freakum Dress,” shimmying to “Get Me Bodied,” and J-setting to "Single Leadies" as she wrapped the elaborate two-hour performance.

At evening’s end, B encouraged the crowd to “go win some money tonight.” But the only sure bet at Revel that night was Beyoncé.

After her opening night set on Friday, B’s husband Jay-Z made one of his infrequent appearances on Twitter to give high, if somewhat biased, praise to wifey. "’I'm gonna say this and then I'm gonna end mine,’” he tweeted, “BEYONCE is the best performer in the world. Period.”

Sure, he’s married to her. What else is Jay gonna say? But upon further reflection, he just might have a point. What other artist out there gives the type of live performance she does on a nightly basis? Who can give you that incredible voice singing power ballads and up-tempo dance cuts—while dancing? Not to mention her dazzling 100-foot LED display.

So we leave you with this question: In a world with hotshots like Lady Gaga, legends like U2, and even Jay-Z and Kanye West's The Throne bodying stages worldwide, is Beyoncé best performer on earth?

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